Mishaps and a Weird Family
by AnimationNut
Summary: May be a series of one-shots. With the strangest family ever, hilarious situations are bound to take place. Now up: All Lilo and Stitch needed to do was find a Christmas tree. Who knew they could make a mess of Christmas tree shopping? I take requests.
1. Family Tree Mishap

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**The Family Tree Mishap**

Ten-year-old Lilo Pelekai pursed her lips in frustration. Her large brown eyes surveyed the mess in front of her; hundreds of pictures covered every inch of the hardwood living room floor and glue blobs were splattered all across the coffee table. Her long black hair was tied loosely in a ponytail and her hands were covered in dried glue. "This totally reeks!"

Nani Pelekai entered the disaster zone that used to be her neat and tidy living room. Groaning, Nani pressed her fingers to her forehead. "'a'ohe! Lilo, what are you doing?"

"My homework!" Lilo hissed, glowering at the project outline her teacher had given out.

Trying to ignore the mess, Nani gingerly stepped around the piles of photographs and crouched beside her little sister. "You don't sound too happy about it."

"No kid is happy doing homework," Lilo informed bitterly. "But this shouldn't be that difficult!"

"What exactly do you need all these pictures for?" Nani asked, picking the nearest one up. She arched an eyebrow. "A photo of...what's his name again?"

Lilo let out a sigh. "Sparky, Nani. Do you know the names of any of the cousins?"

"How am I supposed to remember all six hundred and twenty five of them?" Nani rolled her eyes. "I'm amazed that you can."

"_Anyway_," Lilo got back to the original question her sister asked. "My teacher wants us to make a family tree. I got all the way up to me and you before I hit the road block."

Nani followed her sister's finger and for the first time noticed the giant piece of poster board taped to the wall. Pictures of family members from both their mother and father's sides were glued on with miniscule writing underneath each photo. But it only covered half of the board. "Lilo, you're already finished. Why do you have so much space left?"

Lilo looked at her in disbelief. "Uh...maybe because I still have over six hundred cousins, an aunt and uncle, your boyfriend, my dog, and many others to add on."

"You gotta be kidding me," Nani stated flatly. She should have guessed from the glossy photos that covered the floor what Lilo's intentions were.

"I'm very serious!" Lilo exclaimed. "I'm putting my entire 'ohana on here! I can't leave anyone out."

"You can add David, Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch, but that's it," Nani said firmly.

"But what about the cousins? What about Gantu? What about-?"

Nani picked up the piece of paper detailing the project expectations. "It says here that your teacher wants a brief history on each family member. You can't do that with all these aliens!"

But Lilo was stubborn. "That's where I hit a road block!" She jabbed a finger at the notebook in front of her. The pages were covered in brief notes. "I managed to interlock the history of a few dozen cousins so that it all fits so far, but I'm stuck on the rest!"

Nani rubbed her forehead. "Lilo, you're not getting it. The history is one thing, but how is your class going to react when they find out that all of these strange little creatures on the island are related to you?"

Lilo shrugged. "I figured they would be impressed."

"Noooooo," Nani drawled. "They'll start to get suspicious. Cobra Bubbles spent a huge chunk of his time making up stories for each individual alien creature and the reason for why they are here and how they're not dangerous and why they can do so many amazing things."

Lilo arched an eyebrow. "And everyone believed him? I love the islanders, but they really aren't the smartest bananas in a bunch."

"The point is," Nani snapped in frustration, "if you put every single member of our extended family on your poster you'll be undoing Cobra's hard work with your lolo made up histories. Jumba, Pleakley and Stitch. _That's it. _Understood?"

"But-"

"Don't make me call Cobra," Nani threatened, using the last weapon in her arsenal.

Lilo clamped her mouth shut and folded her arms, a scowl forming. The silent surrender caused Nani to nod in satisfaction and leave Lilo to brood and redo her poster.

"She's totally overreacting," Lilo muttered. "If no one on this island has figured out that we're housing aliens, then they won't figure it out at all."

Defiant and determined, Lilo picked up the discarded glue stick and a handful of photos. She had work to do.

...

"You _really _messed up this time." Mertle Edmonds smirked as she surveyed the chaos that was happening before them. Lilo was gaping in horror, hands pressed to her cheeks.

"I didn't think anyone would catch on!" Lilo howled, leaning against the stone wall in which Mertle was perched on.

"You put all of your weirdo alien cousins on your family tree." GiGi barked and Mertle gave her a reassuring pat on the head. "Not you, GiGi. You're the normal one."

Lilo's classmates had definitely been confused when she claimed that all the unique creatures on the island were related to her. It only took Elena's innocent comment that Lilo claimed to have been to outer space for everyone to come to a conclusion. Sure, Elena had been trying to diss Lilo by implying she was a liar, but everyone took her seriously.

"Why did they have to believe me now?" Lilo wailed as she watched the panicked islanders race about. When one of the cousins would come to close, they would scream and run away. "I always used to brag about aliens and going to outer space. No one believed me then!"

Mertle just shrugged. "Well, you just have the worst luck in history. Now you have the entire island in a fit because they think we're about to have an alien invasion."

"We already had one!" Lilo snapped. "But of course no one noticed the attack of the Leroys!"

Lilo would have been worried for the safety of the cousins if they didn't have the ability to take care of themselves. A few of them scampered by, and they often shot her irritated looks.

"Why does everyone automatically assume it's my fault?" Lilo cried as Frenchfry gave her a look of accusation.

"Because it normally is," Mertle drawled. She was enjoying herself immensely. Lilo hadn't placed Mertle on the board due to her personal request. GiGi may have been happy to be part of an 'ohana, but Mertle wasn't as enthusiastic, although the relationship between the two girls had become slightly more civil. "I'm just glad I managed to tear off GiGi's picture before anyone got a good look."

Lilo had only gotten halfway through the aliens when Elena made that comment. She was certain Lilo was fibbing and wanted to call her out on it. But it didn't exactly have the effect she expected.

Mertle peered at all the people running around, screaming and panicking. Many were grabbing their bags and loading their cars. Some were trying to apprehend the cousins with poor results. "Word really travels fast around here."

Lilo was at her wits end. "How am I going to fix this?"

Mertle chuckled. "Please, Weirdlo. Not even you can fix this train wreck."

It was then Lilo noticed Cobra's hulking frame over the sea of people. Squawking in fright, she clambered over the wall and crouched behind it. "Oh no! Did he see me?"

Mertle studied the large agent. He seemed to be hollering something at the people, but she couldn't hear it over the hubbub. "Nah. He's just trying to restore order."

Lilo breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe for the time being. "I wonder how he'll handle this."

Mertle watched as more agents filed into the area. "Looks like he called in his buddies. You're in huge trouble now."

"I didn't mean to start a fear-induced riot!" Lilo wailed. "I just wanted to show the whole 'ohana for crying out loud!"

Three rapid bangs were what it took to get everyone on the beach to calm down. Cobra's deep voice spoke stern orders, and soon everyone was slowly going back to their homes or hotels. Mertle whistled. "I'm impressed. He dismantled a Class-A riot like it was a jigsaw puzzle."

"Did he make up a story?" Lilo asked frantically.

Mertle's lips twitched. "Yup. He told everyone that it was just a prank. Everyone knows how you like to see chaos happen."

"I don't like it _that _much!" Lilo insisted, keeping to her hiding place.

"Well, everyone is going to be super mad at you tomorrow. How much you wanna bet that this story will be in the papers by tonight?"

"That's a bet I'm going to lose," Lilo muttered. "Ugh...I should have listened to Nani. How much trouble am I in?"

Mertle hummed thoughtfully. "Well, everyone on the island has probably been told that this was all a joke by you, so you have them to deal with. Cobra won't be happy...your sister won't be happy...Officer Kaiiko will definitely not be happy. Am I missing anyone?"

"The Grand Councilwoman," Lilo muttered forlornly. "That's it. I'm never doing my homework again."

It was then both girls became aware of the silence. "Shows over. I'm going home. If you're not killed when you get home, I'll see you at hula practice. That is, if they haven't banned you." Cackling, Mertle and GiGi headed off.

Lilo slowly began her walk home. She was halfway down the street when a familiar black car came to a stop beside her. Lilo flinched when Cobra rolled the window down, his black sunglasses glinting in the sunlight.

"Get. In. _Now_."


	2. Baby Mertle

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**Baby Mertle **

_This,_ Lilo mused, _was perhaps not the best idea._

Stitch sat on the wooden fence behind her, his mouth twitching in a grin. Lilo scratched her chin and glanced at the current dilemma which was her fault. Of course, most dilemmas that happened in Kauai were her fault.

Baby-Fier floated nearby and sucked his pacifier nervously. He probably shouldn't have done what he did, but Lilo was very persuasive when she wanted to be. Those big brown eyes of hers were also very convincing.

"I should have stuck with banana cream pies," Lilo sighed and leaned against the rotted wood of the fence that lined Mertle's property. "PJ would have helped."

"Lilo got Mertle good!" Stitch cackled. In his opinion, the ginger had finally gotten what was coming to her.

Baby Mertle was currently bawling her eyes out, tiny fists pounding into the dirt. Earlier that day Mertle threw one barb too many that day in hula class and Lilo had enough. So she enlisted the help of Experiment 151 to help her in her revenge plan.

But as usual, she didn't think her plan through.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Lilo questioned, wincing as Mertle screamed shrilly. Baby-Fier winced, shot her a look that clearly said _it's your problem now _and flew off back to the animal shelter. Lilo rubbed her forehead and stared down at the sobbing infant.

"Antidote?" Stitch suggested, hopping down from his perch to land beside Lilo.

"It seems like the most obvious plan of action," Lilo agreed. "Unfortunately for me, I can't remember what the ingredients are. You?"

Stitch scratched his head before his shoulders slumped. "Naga."

"Didn't think so." Lilo put her hands on her hips and frowned down at her new problem. "Here's the game plan: I stay here and watch the pest while you sneak into Jumba's room and hack into his computer."

The blue alien groaned. To break into Jumba's room and get caught meant severe punishment. It was a risk he was never willing to take. "Lilo do it!"

The eight-year-old snorted. "How exactly are you going to look after Mertle?"

Stitch scowled, not having an answer. With a reluctant nod, he began the run back to their little home, tucked back near the forest and near the cliffs. Lilo grinned in satisfaction before turning her attention to Mertle. The redhead seemed to realize she would not get anywhere by screaming her lungs out and was now silently brooding.

"Hungry Mertle?" Lilo asked, gingerly picking her up and carrying her towards the nearest diner. "I know I am."

Baby Mertle responded by swatting her across the face. Lilo held Mertle as far away as possible and grimaced. "I deserved that one. _Don't bite me!_"

...

Stitch crawled stealthily across the side of the house. Bluish-purple paint chipped off as he dug his nails into the panelling and drifted into the dried grass below. Stitch tried opening the window only to discover it was latched shut. He squinted and peered inside, black eyes darting about the dim room. Jumba was not inside.

Stitch dug a nail into the glass and carved a precise circle. He carefully jimmied it out and slipped inside the small opening. He went over to Jumba's small wooden desk and powered up the space computer.

"Nala queesta!" the experiment muttered when he discovered he would need a password. It really shouldn't have surprised him. In fact he should have expected it.

The fuzzy blue alien tried to think up the most fitting password for Jumba to use. The large alien scientist often changed it up to prevent the prying eyes of Lilo and Stitch. Of course, the troublesome duo always found a way to hack into his systems anyway.

"Evil rocks?" Stitch tried. The dull buzz that emitted from the tiny speakers told him he got it wrong. "Uh...Jumba is number one?" Still wrong. There were many combinations for the slightly arrogant Jumba Jookiba but only so many log-in attempts.

Stitch looked around the slightly messy room in hopes for inspiration. He came across Pleakley's tidy bunk and dresser and recalled the argument they had gotten into the previous night. Knowing Jumba, he probably changed his password in such a way that it would spite the effeminate alien without him knowing.

"Pleakley is brainless noodle thing." Stitch tried once more and grinned triumphantly when he was granted access. It was a rather long password, but it was also Jumba's favourite insult.

Stitch grabbed a spare piece of paper and quickly scribbled down the ingredients for the antidote. Shutting the computer down, he went back out the window and fit the glass circle neatly back into its hole.

...

Lilo was having nowhere near as much luck as Stitch. Mertle was as much a spoiled brat as a baby as she was an eight-year-old. Covered in applesauce, Lilo tried to stuff the spoon in Mertle's mouth for the umpteenth time. All she got was another fist in the eye.

"I give up!" Lilo exploded. She shoved another one of her fries into her mouth and grabbed a squirming Mertle from her highchair. Mertle was clean as a whistle opposed to the food-covered Lilo.

Lilo lugged the fussy baby outside and wished Stitch would hurry up. She didn't know how much more she could take.

Mertle burst into tears and Lilo froze in the middle of the sidewalk when she felt a sudden heaviness in Mertle's diaper. Tilting her head up to the clear blue sky, she moaned. "You gotta be kidding me!"

Lilo quickly strode over to the beach and set Mertle down in the sand. Rubbing the back of her neck, Lilo wondered where she would get the supplies to change Mertle. Digging into her muumuu pocket she found a handful of change. "There goes my allowance."

Slinging Mertle over one shoulder, Lilo headed down the street and into the nearest store. The shopkeeper looked at her strangely as she stormed in with a sobbing baby.

"Babysitting," Lilo said airily. She tossed a small pack of diapers and wipes onto the counter and paid for them. She brought Mertle back to the beach and set her down on the grassy bank next to the crumbling stone wall.

Mertle was proving to be very difficult.

"Hold still!" Lilo snapped as she struggled to do the disgusting job. "Ugh, I am never having kids!"

After a few painful minutes Lilo successfully did the job and chucked the stuff into the garbage can. "You better appreciate that!"

But Mertle was fast asleep, sucking her thumb.

"Peace and quiet at last," Lilo sighed with relief and flopped back against the sand. She enjoyed the serenity until it was interrupted by Stitch.

"Got it!" Stitch grinned victoriously and waggled the bottle filled with antidote.

"Finally!" Lilo got up and stretched. "I've only had her for thirty minutes and I want her back to normal."

Stitch wandered up to the slumbering baby and jabbed her in the side. Mertle woke up instantly with a howling wail. Stitch stuffed the bottle into her mouth and Mertle sucked on it for a moment, puzzled.

"Let's get out of here," Lilo muttered and took off for safety with Stitch hot on her heels.

Mertle slowly picked herself up from the sand and chucked the bottle away. She was very aware of the events that had taken place and was more embarrassed than angry.

...actually, she was furious. But aware that Lilo had over six hundred experiments to her one, she decided to let this one go, barely.

She would find a subtle way to get back at Weirdlo.

"Uh...Mertle?"

The redhead looked up to see her friends staring at her from the sidewalk. Elena opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. Hesitantly, she asked, "How come you were drinking from a bottle?"


	3. Bonding

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**Bonding**

Nani was certain that this wasn't the best idea. Her patience had been stretched rather thin since the alien additions to her family, and although she had grown fond of them, they still drove her insane. But even with Jumba constantly stealing her electronic appliances and Pleakley borrowing her clothes, the thing that made her want to tear her hair out was the antics of Stitch.

The little blue experiment got into everything. Nani knew that despite being reformed Stitch still had those mischievous tendencies in him. It did not help when those tendencies were fuelled by the energetic schemes of her little sister.

Nani loved Stitch, yes. It had been a rocky and wary beginning but any bumps had been smoothed over; for the most part, anyway.

But Lilo was certain that her beloved 'ohana wasn't spending enough quality time together. She treasured her family more than anything and wanted them to be close. Lilo and Stitch were the best of friends and no bonding was needed there. Pleakley and Jumba were in the same boat; although the two quarrelled and were complete opposites, they grew to be very good friends.

Nani and Lilo were sisters; their relationship was already tight and sturdy.

So Lilo came up with the bright idea for Nani and Stitch to spend some bonding time together while she hung out with her alien babysitters. She hadn't been spending as much time as she would have liked with Jumba and Pleakley and was determined to spend the day with the both of them.

Jumba and Pleakley had grown to love the eccentric Hawaiian girl and didn't mind.

Stitch, however, was not as enthusiastic. Nani could not help but agree with them. While the two may have loved each other, they didn't quite get along all that often.

So there they were. Nani was manning the shack while Stitch lounged around, bored.

"Bored!" Stitch complained for the millionth time. He lifted his head from the hardwood floor and stared at Nani with hopeful black eyes.

Nani let out a breath and checked her watch. "I'll be on break in ten more minutes. Then we can go do something that isn't destructive or dangerous."

Stitch groaned and slammed his head back to the floor.

Ten minutes later Stitch practically tore from the shack. Nani locked up and quickly followed the rolling blue fur ball. "Alright. What do you want to do?" Might as well get this bonding thing started.

Stitch popped up. "Bungee jumping!"

"Uh...I don't think so."

"...parasailing?"

"Try again."

Stitch sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Surfing?"

"You can't swim."

"You can."

Nani smirked. "Fine, we'll go surfing. But try not to fall off."

Stitch nodded eagerly, happy to be doing something. His fear of water was not as strong as it once was.

Nani reopened the shack and removed a surfboard. As an employee, she got equipment privileges, but she didn't use it often due to Lilo and Stitch. Sometimes it amazed her at how destructive they both could be.

A few minutes later and they were paddling through the clear blue water towards the waves. Stitch bounced in excitement and also from nerves. Soon the board was picked up by a wave and Nani carefully stood up, arms held out for balance. Stitch copied her and cheered wildly.

"Again!" the blue alien shouted when they floated gently on the water once more.

"Fine, but I need to get back to work soon," Nani warned. "Family is important, but money is also needed to support said family."

Stitch rolled his eyes. In his opinion, Nani worked too much. But her words held significance and he wasn't going to argue. He just wanted to have some fun with the eldest Pelekai sister.

They were on their last surf before Nani had to report back to work. The wave was a rough one, but Nani had handled worse. They were riding the crest of the wave when the board jerked and both riders were sent tumbling off.

Nani struck the lukewarm water hard. Body stinging, she spluttered to the surface. "Stitch?" she called, her head bobbing above the water. "_Stitch!_"

Panicked, she ducked beneath the water and hurriedly kicked below. Her murky vision managed to catch sight of a blurry blue blob sinking towards the bottom of the ocean. She swam towards it, grabbed two furry arms and hauled him to the surface.

Board forgotten, Nani dragged Stitch to the sand. His blue fur was matted to his body and he was limp. Nani checked his pulse and found it beating faintly. "Come on you little monster, wake up!"

She tried CPR and desperately hoped Stitch would open his eyes. What would she tell the others? How would they all live without the loveable blue nuisance?

She jolted back in surprise when Stitch coughed weakly. He hacked a bit more and water spurted from his mouth. Airway clear, he took a big gulp of air and flew upwards, panting heavily.

"You're okay!" Nani soothed, stroking his wet fur. "Everything's fine."

Stitch took a minute to gather his bearings and looked at Nani. "Thank you."

Nani swatted him gently across the head. "I don't need thanks. Don't you remember what 'ohana means?"

"Nobody gets left behind or forgotten," Stitch recited promptly. It was a phrase heard consistently around the Pelekai household.

"Exactly. I love you, you hairy blue freak."

"Stitch fluffy!" the experiment corrected before attaching himself to Nani's right leg. "And Stitch loves you too."

...

The sky was an orangey-red by the time Nani and Stitch made it home. A little blur immediately shot out of the front door and jumped down the steps, tackling them both into a hug.

"This was the best day ever!" Lilo hollered with glee and happiness shone in her big brown eyes. "Was it the best day ever for you guys?"

Nani grinned fondly at her little sister. "It was. We'll have to do it again sometime. In fact, how about we order a pizza and have a movie night?"

Lilo and Stitch cheered and shot back into the house.

_A strange family,_ Nani mused as she walked up the blue wooden steps. _But I wouldn't change it for anything._


	4. Family Takes the Nightmares Away

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**Family Takes the Nightmares Away**

Heavy rain pounded the roof and lightning flashed in the black sky. Stitch grunted in his sleep, rolling over and tugging the blanket over his furry head. Lilo, however, rocketed upwards as a clap of thunder boomed across Kauai. She pressed a clammy hand against her mouth to quell the shriek of terror. Not so much from the storm, but from the nightmare she just had.

It was a recurring nightmare, having been plaguing the young girl for about a week. Normally Stitch would comfort her as she cried but tonight she saw no need to disturb her best friend. She had kept him awake every night for the past week and she didn't want to wake him again.

But she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

Lilo hugged her knees and swallowed thickly. The nightmare was always the same. She would be sitting at the table for breakfast with Stitch, Nani, Pleakley and Jumba. It was pleasant, at first, with Nani scolding Lilo for putting too much sugar on her cereal and Pleakley and Jumba bickering about some minor thing.

Then there would be a knock on the door.

Nani would get up and answer it. And in would storm dozens of men in black suits.

None of them were nice and friendly like Cobra Bubbles.

They demanded that her alien uncles and best friend come with them. When they refused, the bad men shocked them until they were too weak to fight. Nani attempted to help, but one of the men would knock her out. Lilo wanted to scream, but she couldn't.

Then one man would look at her with cold black eyes and inform her that they were taking all her alien cousins away as well for experimentation.

That's when she always woke up.

Lilo moaned softly and collapsed against her pillow. It was ridiculous to think that anyone would come and take the majority of her 'ohana away. Her alien relatives had been living on Kauai for a couple of years. They were fine.

But there was always that nagging feeling in the back of her mind. There were always those people determined to find an alien, capture them and experiment on them. It was a situation in almost every science-fiction movie.

Lilo squeezed her eyes shut. No, it didn't help to think about her annoying night time problem.

The thunder boomed again and this time Lilo jumped out of bed. Irritated by how the nightmare was affecting her, Lilo tiptoed out of her room and down the hall. She was about to push open Nani's door when she remembered that her sister was on a late date with David.

"She's never around when I need her," Lilo grumbled half-heartedly. She turned on her heel and headed for the room Pleakley and Jumba shared. She quietly pushed open the wooden door and peeked in. "Jumba? Pleakley?"

Soft snoring answered her.

Lilo entered the room and crept over to the bottom bunk, where Pleakley slept. She squeezed into the bed beside him and accidently jostled one of his many legs. Startled, Pleakley shot upwards, his sleep mask slipping off his eye. His arm flailed out and knocked Lilo towards the edge of the bunk. Pleakley caught sight of the girl trying to catch her balance and grabbed her by the waist. Lilo grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

Pleakley collapsed against the pillow, his heart pounding from the abrupt wake-up call. "Are you _trying _to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," Lilo repeated.

"What are you doing?" Pleakley asked tiredly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I had a bad dream," Lilo admitted softly.

Pleakley glanced into Lilo's big brown eyes and spotted the fear that still lingered. "Okay," he yawned and tugged Lilo beside him. "Tell Uncle Pleakley what the bad dream was about. And try to be quiet. Jumba becomes Mr. Grumpy Pants when his sleep his disturbed."

Lilo smiled slightly. "But I don't want to talk about it. It only makes me feel worse."

"Have you talked to anyone about this dream?" Pleakley asked.

Lilo shook her head. "Stitch knows I have nightmares, but I don't tell him what they're about. He just comforts me."

"You know, talking about nightmares does help get over them," Pleakley urged.

"Well...okay," Lilo agreed hesitantly. She would try anything if it meant never having that accursed nightmare again. "I keep having this dream that a bunch of bad men are sent by the government to come and take you and everyone else away."

Pleakley assumed correctly that Lilo was referring to the rest of her alien 'ohana. "That is a bad dream. But it'll never come true."

"How do you know?" Lilo asked.

"Because we have Cobra Bubbles on our side. And he is the scariest person I know. No one will want to mess with us when we have Cobra Bubbles," Pleakley said matter-of-factly.

Lilo burst into giggles. "I never thought of that. But Cobra is only one agent."

"That may be true. There's also the fact that you have over six hundred alien experiments on your side. No government agency in the world would want to face _that_."

Lilo grinned. "You're right!"

"Aren't I always?" Pleakley yawned again. "Now it's time to go sleepy-bye."

Lilo tugged the blanket over the two of them and closed her eyes. Pleakley's arm was still around her waist comfortingly. The girl smiled softly.

She felt a _lot _better.

...

A rather loud clap of thunder caused Stitch to jolt awake. With a moan of annoyance Stitch rubbed his eyes and peered around the room. Concern filled him when the alien experiment noticed that Lilo was not in her bed.

Guessing correctly that Lilo must have had another nightmare Stitch crawled down from his bunk in search for his best friend. His claws clacked against the hardwood floor and he peeked in the one room where she would most likely be.

Sure enough Lilo was curled up against Pleakley, her breathing calm and steady. Stitch smiled, happy that she was getting a good night's sleep.

Stitch crawled over to the bunk and peered at the two. He decided to stay in the room just in case Lilo had another nightmare. That way he could provide extra comfort to his best friend.

Stitch crawled up the wooden bunk posts and slipped in beside the snoring mass that was Jumba. Stitch yawned and curled against his creator, eyes fluttering closed. Jumba's large hand drifted down and scratched Stitch's head idly before resting there.

Lilo slept peacefully that night, and every night after. She never had that nightmare again.


	5. The Car Wash Mishap

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**The Car Wash Mishap**

Lilo lazily stirred her soggy cereal around the glass bowl. The morning sun shone through the window, promising a pleasant day was to be had. "So, Stitch, what do you want to do today?"

Stitch glanced up from his breakfast of yogurt and chocolate chips. The dairy product dripped down his chin as he garbled, "I dunno. What Lilo want to do?"

The Hawaiian girl hummed in thought, tapping her chin with her spoon. "We could go mummy hunting, or we could see if any more experiments have been activated, or-"

"You could wash the car," Nani interjected as she entered the kitchen. She gave her pajama-clad sister a pointed glance. "Like you agreed to do when I let you stay up an hour past your bedtime to watch one of your silly vampire movies."

"Those movies are very educational," Lilo defended. "And can't I wash the car another day?"

"If I don't make you do it now I'll never get you to do it," Nani responded. She slung her purse over her shoulder and exited the kitchen. Just as Lilo and Stitch were about to make their escape Nani came back, carrying plastic buckets, ratted washcloths and a yellow bottle of soap. "The car _will _be washed by the time I get back from work," she said firmly. "Or else it means no experiment hunting for two weeks."

"Fine," Lilo grumbled. "I'll wash the stupid car."

"Good. And if you get done early, you can go and play. But don't do anything life-threatening," Nani warned half-heartedly, knowing that dangerous situations were pretty much inevitable when it came to her sister. "I'm off to work."

"But it's so early." Lilo glanced at the clock hanging above the entryway.

Nani arched an eyebrow. "I don't have a car, so I have to walk."

"You can take Jumba's car."

"I'm as fond of Jumba as you are, Lilo, but there is no way I will ever use any contraption he makes unless it is _absolutely necessary_."

Lilo rolled her eyes as Nani hurried out of the kitchen. "Well, we've been given our orders." Lilo got up from the wooden chair and stretched. "I'm going to go change. I'll meet you outside."

Stitch saluted Lilo and grabbed the cleaning supplies. He scampered out the door and stood by the car they were supposed to wash. Stitch sat down in the dirt driveway and waited for Lilo. He peered at the yellow bottle for a moment before picking it up and letting a drop of soap drip onto his tongue.

"Save some for the car," Lilo said idly as she dragged the green garden house towards her best friend. She splashed the cool water into the plastic buckets and Stitch squeezed in the soap. He then picked up a rag and soaked it thoroughly. Lilo sprayed the car with water as Stitch scrubbed off the dried dust and dirt.

Barely two minutes had passed when Stitch complained, "Boring!"

"You're telling me," Lilo agreed. "Too bad Nani took the car keys with her. We could have used the car radio to jam to some tunes. "

Stitch tossed the rag aside and yanked the car door open. "Keys still in car!" Stitch proclaimed. Sure enough, the silver keys were still dangling from the ignition.

"Huh. I guess Nani was really busy yesterday. She normally always makes sure she takes the keys out of the ignition. Well, lucky for us she didn't. Crank it up, Stitch!"

Stitch was happy to comply. He twisted the keys and music instantly blasted from the speakers. Lilo grinned. "That's much better. Now help me wash this thing."

Stitch jumped from the car, unaware that he struck the gear shift with his foot as he did so. "Okay, okay."

The alien experiment collected his rag and turned around. His black eyes widened. "Uh, Lilo?"

"Yeah?" Lilo turned around from where she had been dunking her own rag in a bucket of water. "_Agh! Stitch! Why is the car rolling away?_"

Nani's car was indeed rolling down the dirt driveway, slowly gathering speed as it went. Stitch raced after it, but by then the car was already speeding down the slope leading towards their home.

"Nani is going to kill me!" Lilo moaned. "Stitch! Keep running after it!"

"Ih!" Stitch called and continued to chase after the runaway vehicle.

Lilo took a deep breath. "_Jumba!_" she shrieked. "_Jumbaaa!_"

A second later the large purple alien burst out the front door, waving a plasma gun in the air. "What is being the matter? Is Big Dummy trying to hurt little girl?"

"No! Nani's car is getting away and I need your car to help me catch it!" Lilo explained hurriedly.

"Don't be scaring Jumba like that," Jumba scolded. But he climbed into his vehicle and started it up. Lilo quickly jumped into the passenger seat.

"Let's move!"

Jumba shook his head and roared out of the driveway. When they got close to town they could make out Stitch still in pursuit of Nani's car. Lilo let out a sigh of relief. "At least it didn't hit anyone."

"Do I want to be knowing of what is going on?" Jumba asked, speeding up so that he could catch up to his experiment and the runaway vehicle.

"It was all Stitch's fault," Lilo said firmly. There was no way she was taking the blame for this one. All she had done was suggest turning on the radio. Nothing disastrous was supposed to happen.

But of course, Lilo had a habit of having bad things happen to her.

"It's heading for the water!" Lilo cried in dismay, knowing instantly that they wouldn't be able to catch up in time.

Stitch gave a last ditch effort and launched into the air. He was inches from landing on the vehicle and crashed into the cement. The fluffy blue experiment watched in horror as Nani's car careened onto the beach, sending tourists jumping for safety. Finally, the car rolled into the water, all the way to the deep section, and slowly started to sink.

Lilo jumped from Jumba's car and ran over to Stitch. She dropped to her knees. "Oh no..." she moaned. "We're dead!"

Jumba watched the two from his position in the car. Unable to help himself, he burst into laughter. Hearing him, Lilo whipped her head around and glared furiously. "It's not funny!" she shrieked. "Nani is going to kill me! She's going to lock me in my room for the rest of my life! _I'm doomed! Doooomed!_"

Stitch really only had one thing to say.

"Nala queesta."


	6. Welcome Home

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**I love Gantu. He's one of my favourite characters.**

**Welcome Home**

The battle between the cousins and the Leroys was over. Victorious (and extremely relieved) Lilo jumped off the stage and landed on the ground. Bonnie grinned at the girl and held up her paw for a high-five. "Nice goin', kid."

Lilo beamed and hugged the ex (sort of)-criminal. "You guys were awesome too! That was the best butt kicking I've ever seen!"

"I don't wanna brag, but we _are _pretty good." Bonnie smirked.

Lilo giggled and surveyed the crowd. All of the cousins were safe and unharmed. They were now milling about the field and conversing with each other. Lilo spotted Mertle, who was standing on the sidelines, clutching GiGi to her chest and shaking visibly. "I suppose I have some explaining to do," the girl muttered.

"If she gives you any trouble, just give her the good one-two!" Bonnie swung her fists for emphasise and Lilo grinned. She jogged over to Mertle and the girl eyed her warily as she approached.

"Hey," Lilo started, not quite sure where to begin.

"You were telling the truth," Mertle said. "You really _did _go to outer space all those times you said you did, and you really do know aliens."

Lilo smiled slightly at the disbelieving tone. "It may be hard to get used to, but yes. GiGi is an alien experiment, and these are her cousins."

GiGi yapped in agreement. She had sensed Mertle's discomfort with her speaking, so she had decided to refrain from doing so until her friend had gotten used to the idea of talking aliens. Mertle rubbed her forehead, sudden exhaustion crashing down on her.

"Unbelievable. Okay, you know what? I'm going home. I really need some rest. Later, Weirdlo."

Mertle stormed off and Lilo decided that the conversation could have gone a lot worse. Mertle would accept the existence of aliens soon enough. She had too; she lived with one for goodness sake!

Lilo glanced over her shoulder and spotted the large form of Gantu, standing beside the stage and watching everything. It was strange how quickly one's feelings could change about someone else. Lilo no longer felt hatred when she stared at the whale-like alien. She supposed, for the last three years, Gantu was just doing his job. And it was no picnic working for that demented hamster-like alien, so perhaps his grumpiness was justifiable.

If Gantu was willing to turn over a new leaf, then Lilo was willing to give him a chance.

She walked right over to the massive alien and stopped by his tree-trunk like legs. "Hi."

Gantu glanced down at her. "Hello. This has been quite a day, hasn't it?"

Lilo nodded. "Uh-huh. Your fireworks were really good, by the way."

Gantu arched an eyebrow. "Uh...thanks. And you certainly know how to play an instrument."

"Thanks." Lilo rocked back on her heels. "Look, I just wanna apologize for calling you a Big Dummy all those times. It wasn't very nice of me."

"_You _are apologizing to _me_?" Gantu asked incredulously.

"For the name-calling," Lilo clarified. "Not for beating you up and taking away the experiments. 'Cause that was necessary."

"Well, then I'm sorry for trying to take away the experiments from you and the trog-I mean, Stitch."

"And for wrecking our roof a bazillion times," Lilo urged.

Gantu rolled his eyes. "And I'm sorry for wrecking your roof a bazillion times. Anything else?"

Lilo screwed her face up in thought. "I don't think so. Although you should apologize to Stitch later. He's kinda busy right now with Angel."

_That will be pleasant_, Gantu thought sourly. But he agreed. After all, if he could find it in himself to apologize to the little girl, then he should be able to apologize to the abomination (no matter how much it would hurt his pride).

"Hey, G!" Reuben suddenly appeared beside Lilo. He slung an arm around her shoulders and grinned. "How's it feel to be on the aloha side?"

"It feels...good," Gantu answered honestly. "How does it feel to be a cousin?"

"It feels like I've gained hundreds of relatives of whom it will be a pain to shop for at Christmas," Reuben said jokingly. Lilo rolled her eyes and punched him lightly.

"We've already got Heckler to make all the wise-cracks."

"Then I guess we'll have to double-team and put on a show." Reuben grinned slyly. "The material we have on Gantu should be enough for an entire show."

"Very funny, 625," Gantu growled.

"Reuben," the yellow experiment corrected. "My name is Reuben."

He said it with such pride that Gantu could not help but smile. "I suppose I'll have to adjust to that change, along with others."

"Yeah, you don't have Mr. Twitchy-Nose bossing you around anymore. So, what are we gonna do?" Reuben asked.

Gantu glanced down at him. "_I _will be searching for a place to live, since _someone _fixed the ship and then left it in outer space. _You _will be at the one true place you belong."

Reuben slouched at this, the sudden change in attitude unnoticed by Gantu. Lilo frowned in confusion. "But Reuben already has his one true place."

"He does?" both Gantu and Reuben asked in surprise.

"Sure. His one true place was with you the whole time." Lilo smiled up at the ex-Captain.

"Lucky me," Gantu grumbled, but it was with good humour in his tone. Reuben brightened up considerably, because (although he would never admit it) he had grown rather fond of the moody alien just as Gantu had grown fond of the experiment.

"You know what that means, right?"

Gantu blinked at the girl. "What does what mean?"

Lilo extended her arms and gestured to the swarm of alien experiments that stood behind her. "You're part of our 'ohana now."

Gantu was touched. After everything he had done, the simple fact that he had turned good was enough for Lilo to declare him a place in her beloved extended family. "You're not like other Earth children, are you?"

Lilo grinned. "Nope. I'm one of a kind. Welcome home, Gantu. Welcome home."


	7. The Experiment Chasing Mishap

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**The Experiment Chasing Mishap**

"Jumba!" Lilo hollered as she tumbled into the living room. It was three o'clock, and the little Hawaiian girl had just gotten home from school. Tossing her backpack by the door she charged for Jumba's lab, rushing up the stairs and bursting into the room. "Jum-"The alien's name was cut off as Lilo gasped in horror. "What's wrong with Stitch?!"

"No need to be panicking," Jumba assured the girl as he adjusted the dials on the glass container Stitch was currently in. The blue alien experiment was slouched against the glass, dark bags under his eyes and he looked rather pale. "626 is sick, nothing to be worrying over."

"But I thought alien experiments couldn't get sick." Lilo approached the container worriedly.

"This is true, but if something is wrong with immune system then experiments can catch annoying Earth colds. Jumba will be fixing 626's immune system."

"I guess that means he can't help me catch the cousin," Lilo said with a sigh.

Jumba glanced at the girl curiously. "What evil creation is wreaking havoc on puny island this time?"

"Well, I only saw it from the bus, but it turned a bench into a big slab of pork!"

Jumba laughed. "Ah. Experiment 024. He is designed to turn objects into pork and cause everything to stop functioning, causing complete chaos across galaxy! _Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!_"

Lilo rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Then I'm gonna name him Hamlet."

Despite his lack of energy, Stitch managed a weak smile of approval. Lilo smiled at him. "Don't worry, Stitch. I think I can handle this one by myself. You just worry about getting better."

"Gun with net cartridge is in closet," Jumba said as he went back to Stitch and his illness.

"Thanks!" Lilo grabbed the weapon from the closet and charged out of the house. She had to get to the experiment before Gantu did.

...

Unknown to Lilo, Gantu wouldn't be a problem for her that day.

"Ugh," Gantu moaned as he held his stomach. "Blasted Earth expiry dates!"

"I told you to check the date of that sour cream before making that salad," 625 said with a smirk as he lounged on his bunk, watching Gantu as he buried under the covers.

The video screen in the other compartment of the ship beeped, signalling an incoming call. Gantu groaned and pressed the pillow over his face. "Not now!"

"_Gantu!_" Hamsterviel's voice screeched as the screen moved into the room. "What are you doing, you lazy pile of uselessness?! There are experiments to be caught!"

"I'm not feeling well," Gantu tried to protest.

"Oh, poor Gantu. _I don't care how you are feeling! Just bring me my experiments or else!_"

Gantu sighed heavily and tried getting up. His stomach lurched and he collapsed back in bed. He was in no condition to go experiment hunting, and no doubt the annoying Earth girl and the trog were already in pursuit of the experiment that had just been activated. "625-"

625 crossed his furry arms. "If you're gonna ask me to go hunt down 024, you better forget about it."

"It's not like you help catch those blasted experiments all the time!" Gantu snapped. "Stop being lazy for once and _do something useful_!"

"What's in it for me?" 625 demanded. "I'm going to be spending valuable sandwich-making time searching for another one of Jumba's creations. I want something to make the wasted time worth it."

Gantu could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. But at this moment, he had no other choice. "I owe you a favour, alright?"

625 tapped his chin. "Deal. I'll see you later, Blubber Butt. Try not to vomit on the blankets; they were just washed."

...

Lilo walked through town, the gun hidden away in her backpack. She followed the trail of pork-turned objects until she finally came across the pork-coloured experiment. "Hamlet!"

Hamlet whirled around and snarled at her. Lilo quickly checked to make sure no one was around before whipping out the gun.

The alien experiment was unaware that the gun was harmless. So he was rightly freaked out and started running away, knowing very well that pork powers would be useless against a gun.

"Wait!" Lilo called and raced after him. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

As Hamlet ran across the intersection, so did 625. Lilo frowned in puzzlement and picked up the pace. It wasn't often she saw the yellow sidekick catching other experiments, but she would rather take him over Gantu. "_Hey!_ Leave your cousin alone!"

"Sorry, sister!" 625 hollered over his shoulder. "I got an annoying hamster jerk that won't lay off and a blubber butt that will never let me hear the end of it if I come back empty-handed."

Soon the two were matching speed as they chased Hamlet. 024 got cornered against the door leading to the town's theater storage unit. Lilo cut ahead of 625 and carefully approached. "It's okay, little guy. I'm not going to-"

"I gotcha!" 625 jumped into the air, preparing to tackle 024. He tackled Lilo instead and the pair tumbled towards Hamlet. The experiment got a split-second idea and threw open the door. The duo rolled right into the storage unit and Hamlet slammed the door shut, locked it and ran off cackling.

Lilo grunted in pain as she hoisted herself up from the cold earth floor. "Great! He locked us in!"

625 looked around hopefully for a window they could slip out of, but he could barely see anything in the dark. "Doesn't this place have lights? As much as I could do without seeing your face, I'd like to see our current dilemma."

Lilo gritted her teeth. _It's like being locked in a room with Heckler. But I'd rather be in a room with him instead of this guy-at least Heckler has become nicer about his jokes. _She carefully felt along the walls before coming across a light switch. She flicked it and the room became flooded with light.

"What is this place?" 625 asked, staring at the stacked cardboard boxes and miscellaneous loose items. "It looks like Gantu's closet."

"It's Kokaua Town's theater storage space," Lilo explained. "It's where they keep all their props and stuff."

"Is there a skeleton key in any of these boxes?"

"Probably not," Lilo answered. She removed her communicator from her pocket and dialed Nani's work number. "I'm calling my sister. She can get us out of here."

Lilo held the phone up to her ear and waited. Finally Nani answered, sounding rather frazzled. "Mr. Wong's Rental Hut. How may I help you?"

"Nani! I'm trapped in the theater storage unit in town with 625! I need you to come and get me out!"

"Lilo! I don't have time for this!" Nani hissed. "Thanks to Cannonball, this beach is constantly flooded with surfers. I get off work in three hours. You'll have to call Stitch or Jumba or someone else to come get you out."

"But-"Lilo tried to protest but Nani had already hung up.

"So I'm guessing that went well," 625 said sarcastically.

"Very funny," Lilo grumbled. She tossed her phone back in her pocket and slouched to the ground.

625 arched an eyebrow. "Whoa, whoa. And why aren't you calling Mr. Super Experiment to come get us out?"

"He's sick," Lilo said shortly. "Jumba's taking care of him and I don't want to bother them. Pleakley is visiting his family on his planet. I don't know David's number."

"Because I know who that is," 625 quipped.

"Well, why don't _you _call Gantu?" Lilo demanded.

"He's being a drama queen," 625 grumbled. "I told him not to eat the sour cream, but does he ever listen? No."

"Then I guess we'll have to wait for someone to come by and rescue us. Unless you can break down the door."

625 snorted. "Sorry, kid. I only make sandwiches."

"Right," Lilo sighed and scanned the area for something to do. She didn't want to open any of the boxes, as the contents inside weren't public property. "Too bad we didn't have any ice. We could have made ice cream."

625 followed the girl's gaze and stared at the ancient ice cream machine resting atop a pile of boxes. "Do you even know how to use one of those?"

"Yes!" Lilo snapped and went to grab the machine. "You pour the ice and the cream in this nozzle, and you crank it like so-_ouch!_"

625 grinned as a strand of Lilo's long black hair got caught in the crank. "Smooth move. If that's how you make your ice cream, I'd pass."

"Help me!" Lilo whined, trying to tug her hair free. 625 wandered over and carefully untangled the black strands from the rusted crank.

"There. I saved your life. Now you owe me."

"Do you ever stop making jokes?" Lilo asked, smoothing her hair back.

"Nah. It is how I keep life interesting." 625 grinned lazily.

Lilo shook her head and resumed her scanning of the room. Her eyes fell upon a hairbrush. "Well, if you're not going to bother help figure a way out of here, then you can braid my hair."

"Excuse me?" 625 asked flatly.

Lilo retrieved the hairbrush and handed it to the experiment. "I bet you don't even know how to braid hair."

"It's not exactly something Jumba programmed into me," 625 responded. But he took the brush and ran it through Lilo's hair. He really didn't have anything better to do.

Ten minutes passed and 625 used the elastic that was around Lilo's wrist to keep his masterpiece intact. "There. Happy?"

Lilo checked her reflection in her communicator screen. "Very. You really can braid hair."

"Don't spread it around. I have a reputation to keep," 625 drawled.

All of a sudden, a soft growling echoed from outside the door. 625 jumped and raced to hide underneath a saddle. "If it comes in, I'm not here!"

Lilo swallowed nervously and grabbed a frying pan that was lying on the floor beside one of the boxes. "Show yourself!" she called bravely, brandishing the frying pan over her head.

There a soft rumbling beneath their feet and the door rattled off its hinges.

_I'm going to have to pay for that_, Lilo thought.

Richter stood in the doorway and smiled happily. "Li-lo!"

"Richter!" Lilo ran and gave the experiment a big hug. "Nani must have sent you! Thanks a bunch for freeing us."

"Yeah, I'll remember it always." 625 crawled out from underneath the saddle and headed outside. Richter growled warningly, remembering that this cousin was the one who worked for the bad alien that tried to take them away. He pressed closer to Lilo and hissed. Lilo was touched by his protectiveness and patted his head.

"It's okay, it's only-"Lilo paused, suddenly realizing that she had never given 625 a name.

She started to call out to him but realized he had already left. She would give him a name later. And she supposed she could forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye. The yellow experiment simply wasn't meant for catching the other activated experiments.

"Do you wanna take a break from making shakes and help me catch your cousin, Hamlet?"

Richter nodded cheerfully and the two set off. As they passed by a diner, Lilo spotted an advertisement for Reuben sandwiches.

_Hmm...Reuben. I'll have to try and remember that one._

**This was a request by selene-rose. I hope this was close to what you were hoping for xD **


	8. Happy Creator and Uncle's Day!

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**Happy Creator and Uncle's Day!**

Six-year-old Lilo Pelekai was curled up against her pillow. The room was dark and the window was blocked with a bed sheet so that no light would get in.

The little girl lifted her head from the pillow and stared sadly at the calendar that was nailed above her desk. She wondered if Father's Day would ever get easier. Ever since her parents passed away, there were three days where the sadness overwhelmed her; Mother's Day, Father's Day and the anniversary of her parent's death.

Other than those days Lilo felt fine. Since Stitch, Jumba and Pleakley joined her 'ohana Lilo had started remembering the happy moments when her parents where alive instead of feeling sad all the time.

But certain days she would need to be alone, to think about her parents and accept that they were gone. It was a hard reality to accept, but it was slowly becoming easier. The pain would never go away, but Lilo could feel it being dulled.

"Lilo?"

Stitch peered at Lilo from the end of her bed. "Lilo okay?"

"Yeah," Lilo said softly. "I'm just sad."

"Why?"

Lilo had forgotten that Stitch was new to Earth, and therefore would not know that this certain day was a sad one. "Today is Father's Day. It's a day where we celebrate our fathers by giving them gifts, cards or just telling them that we appreciate them."

Stitch now understood why Lilo was sad. "Stitch no have father either. Be sad together!"

"But you do have a father," Lilo said in confusion as Stitch climbed into bed beside her.

The blue alien experiment looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Sure. Jumba created you, didn't he? So that kind of makes him your father," Lilo pointed out.

Stitch thought this over. "Ih! Stitch do have father!" He jumped up and down happily for a moment before pausing. "What Stitch supposed to do now?"

Lilo tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Well, you can make him a card, or get him a gift, or make him a special meal. When I was little, Nani helped me make breakfast and we would bring it to Dad in bed." She smiled fondly at the memory.

"Can Stitch do that?"

"Sure! You know, I have an idea." Lilo sprang from the bed. "Nani always tells me that Dad wouldn't want me to be sad on celebrating fatherhood day, and I'm starting to see that she's right. Dad never liked it when we were sad, and if he would tell me anything right now, it would be to remember the happy times. I've been getting better at that, but sometimes it's hard."

Stitch patted Lilo's hand. "Always 'ohana."

"I know." Lilo smiled. "And since I celebrate Dad every single day now in my own little ways, we can make today Creator and Uncle's Day, just for us!"

Stitch clapped his hands. "Good idea! What should we do?"

Lilo peered at the digital clock on her nightstand. "We have three hours before it'll be noon. We can make cards now, and then go downstairs and make lunch!"

Stitch hurried over to the desk and removed a wad of papers and a box of crayons from the drawer. "Ih!"

The two sprawled on the floor and started their creations. Stitch's tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he wrote clumsily on the front of his card, _Happy Creator Day!_ Lilo was busily working on her own card, sketching Pleakley and Jumba on the front with her and Stitch in-between them.

"Lilo? Are you up there?"

Lilo glanced up when the elevator brought Nani up to their level. "Hi, Nani."

Nani was relieved to see Lilo doing something rather than just being curled up in bed. "You missed breakfast, so I brought you some fruit." She set the porcelain bowl of pineapple and apples on Lilo's desk. "Are you okay?"

"I'm feeling a bit better." Lilo nodded. "Stitch and I had a great idea!"

"Oh? What is it?" Nani asked, sitting down beside her sister.

Lilo showed her the card she was making. "Dad knows I love him, and I tell him and Mom that every night. I don't like being sad, so I thought today could be Creator and Uncle's Day. To celebrate Jumba and Pleakley and to show them that they mean a lot to us."

Nani ran her fingers through Lilo's hair. "That's a great idea, baby. I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"Thanks. Do you wanna sign the card?" Lilo held up her masterpiece and handed her sister a blue crayon. Nani smiled and signed her name neatly in the corner.

"I was going to head into town to pick up some groceries. Do you want something special for dinner tonight?"

"How about pizza?" Lilo suggested. "We always had pizza for Dad."

"Sounds good." Nani smiled and stood up. "And we can have a family night, just like Mom and Dad loved to have."

"Perfect!" Lilo cheered.

Stitch nodded in agreement. "Perfect!" he repeated.

Nani left and the two finished their cards. "There! All done!"

Stitch finished the drawing of him and Jumba and smiled. "Finished!"

Lilo hid the cards under her bed. "Now it's time to make them lunch. What should we make?"

"Peanut butter and jelly!" Stitch said excitedly.

Lilo nodded in approval. "The classic lunchtime special. To the kitchen!"

"To the kitchen!" Stitch echoed. The two friends travelled down to the main floor and charged into the kitchen. They stumbled to a halt upon seeing Pleakley sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.

"Pleakley!" Lilo cried.

Pleakley glanced at the little girl. "That's my name. What's up?"

"You need to leave!" Lilo insisted.

The one-eyed alien stared at the duo. "Why, pray tell?"

"It's a surprise!" Stitch said. "You have to leave! Now!"

Pleakley folded the newspaper up and placed it on the table. "Annnnnd what if I don't leave?" he asked teasingly.

Lilo put her small hands on her hips and glared up at him. "We'll have to use force," she said seriously. Stitch punched the air for emphasis.

"Well, I certainly don't want _that _to happen." Pleakley grinned and got up from the chair. "Good luck with your surprise."

The two friends waited until the Plorgonarian had left the kitchen before getting to work. Lilo grabbed two glass plates from the cupboard and set them on the counter. "Bread."

Stitch hurried over to the table and grabbed the loaf of bread. He slapped it beside his best friend. "Bread."

"Peanut butter."

The blue alien experiment opened up the pantry and removed the plastic jar from the shelf. "Peanut butter."

"Jelly and butter."

Stitch threw open the fridge door and took the glass jar of jelly and the plastic container of butter over to Lilo. "Jelly and butter."

"Let's do this!" Lilo slapped two pieces of bread on her plate and started to slather on butter. Stitch waited until she had finished before adding peanut butter and jelly. They repeated the process once more and put the sloppily-made sandwiches onto a wooden tray.

"Something's missing," Lilo mused.

"Milk!" Stitch went back to the fridge and got out a jug of milk. He filled two glasses and Lilo put the beverage on the tray with the sandwiches.

"Now it's perfect." Lilo beamed. "Stitch, go grab the cards and then we can surprise Jumba and Pleakley!"

Stitch saluted her and scurried out of the room. Lilo added two napkins to the tray before picking it up. Stitch came back seconds later with the two homemade cards. The final piece was added to the tray and the two carefully made their way to Jumba and Pleakley's room.

"Aloha!" Lilo greeted happily as the duo entered.

Jumba glanced up from his latest evil project and stared at the wooden tray with surprise. "What is this?"

"Lunch," Stitch said. "Happy Creator Day!"

Lilo put the tray on Jumba's worktable. "And Happy Uncle's Day!"

The two aliens were touched. "You did all this for us?" Pleakley asked, removing the two cards from the tray. Jumba lumbered over and snatched the one Stitch made for him from Pleakley.

Lilo and Stitch nodded. "Uh-huh! We decided that today would be a day where Stitch celebrates his creator and I celebrate my uncles!"

"Do you like it?" Stitch asked.

"Of course we be liking it!" Jumba waved his card in the air. "Jumba especially likes how 626 made Jumba slimmer in picture." The evil genius lifted his creation up and gave him a hug, which Stitch happily returned.

"And you know how we love peanut butter," Pleakley added, taking half of his sandwich and taking a bite.

Lilo and Stitch beamed. "We wanted to show how much we love and appreciate you," Lilo said.

"Then maybe we should hold a Lilo and Stitch celebration day for you two." Pleakley picked the six-year-old up and placed her in his lap.

Lilo giggled. "You can show your appreciation by sharing your sandwich, if you want."

"I knew there was a catch to all this," Pleakley joked. But he didn't mind when Lilo took the other half of his sandwich and took a big bite out of it.

Jumba sat down on the bottom bunk beside Pleakley and Lilo. Stitch crawled onto his shoulder and happily took the half of the sandwich that was offered to him.

Lilo snuggled against Pleakley and smiled contentedly.

Her parents would have loved Stitch and her alien uncles. And she was certain that they would have loved her parents.


	9. The Right Choice

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**The Right Choice**

The Grand Councilwoman reclined in her golden office chair. A content smile curled across her face as she closed her eyes. Finally, she would get a few blissful moments just to herself.

_Bzzt. Incoming video message._

Well, so much for that.

The Grand Councilwoman sighed and reluctantly pressed the button on her desk panel. A wide holographic screen unfolded in front of her. Aera, her dutiful secretary, smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry to disturb you, your Eminence, but the Head of Galactic Relations is here to see you."

Years of practice in schooling her emotions allowed the leader of the Galactic Council to keep her annoyance hidden. "Send him in."

"Yes ma'am." Aera quickly motioned for the visitor to step through the chamber doors before closing the video screen.

The Grand Councilwoman folded her hands in front of her as an irate Head of Galactic Relations stormed into her office. "Olu, it is a pleasure to see you again."

Olu scowled. "Don't try that on me, Alae. You know very well why I'm here and I want to address this matter immediately."

Olu was one of the few creatures in the galaxy that could get away with addressing her by her actual name. Alae considered playing dumb but decided that it would be best to get the matter over with. "I'm assuming you've heard about the newly proclaimed Earth Ambassador."

"Of course I've heard about it!" Olu exclaimed. "The news is all across the galaxy! Not only didn't you invite me to the ceremony, but you've given the honour to a _nine-year-old girl!_"

"I fail to see the problem."

Olu gaped. "_The girl is nine-years-old!_ Even Earth politicians have to wait _years _before claiming a position of power!"

Alae frowned. "I politely ask that you lower your tone. And yes, Lilo Pelekai is only nine, but she has a unique connection with aliens and I know she is the perfect candidate for such a position."

"The only aliens she's been in contact with are the illegal genetic experiments created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba, the insane scientist himself, your Captain who has questionable loyalty and the former Earth advisor," Olu said flatly. "None of them compare to the hostile forces that continue to debate on the importance of Earth staying an independent planet."

"Captain Gantu has proven nothing but loyalty since rejoining the Galactic Armada," Alae said firmly. "And may I remind you that Lilo Pelekai has rehabilitated all 625 experiments. That takes a great amount of talent. I don't understand why you object so strongly to my selection of the Earth Ambassador. Do you not trust my judgement?"

The small green alien rubbed his neck nervously. "It's not that I don't trust you," Olu backpedaled. "It's just that I feel uneasy when a child is in charge of greeting every alien that visits her planet and keeping peace. It's a large amount of responsibility, for her and for me if things go wrong."

The leader of the Galactic Council tapped her fingers together. "It seems that you will only be at ease if you see that Lilo is the best candidate for the job. If it were anyone else showing such insolence, I would have them reassigned. But since you are an old friend, and your concerns are legitimate, I will bring you to Earth so you can see for your own eyes that I made the right decision."

Olu flushed. "I never meant to offend you-"

"You have your opinions and you are entitled to them. I can only hope to change them." The Grand Councilwoman peered at her schedule. "Lilo's next inspection day happens to be tomorrow. I will clear all appointments and we will watch the girl in action."

Olu blinked. "Inspection day?"

Alae smiled slightly. "Lilo checks up on the experiments once a month. She takes their well-being _very _seriously, and I believe she would do these inspections even if she wasn't bestowed the position of being the sole caretaker of the experiments."

"Wait-she's an Earth Ambassador _and _the sole caretaker of 625 illegal genetic experiments?" Olu exclaimed.

"Of course. Who else would it be?" Alae folded her hands together. "I will see you tomorrow bright and early. If you'll excuse me, I have to inform Lilo that we will be dropping by."

"Yes, your Majesty." Olu nodded respectfully before departing the chambers.

_I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be an interesting day for me_, he thought.

...

It was around mid-morning when the Grand Councilwoman's ship touched down in Lilo's backyard. Olu exited the ship nervously and followed behind the esteemed leader.

A small, nine-year-old girl barrelled down the porch steps and raced over to greet them. "Hi, Alae!" Lilo squealed excitedly. "It's nice to see you again!"

Olu started. "She calls you Alae?"

"Of course," Alae said simply. "It's not proper for your family members not to know your actual name."

"_Family _members?" Olu suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

"Alae is 'ohana!" Lilo said cheerfully.

_Okay, I'm eternally grateful Alae didn't fire me on the spot, _Olu thought. It humiliated him to know that he had criticized someone who Alae considered family. To distract himself from the sick feeling in his gut, he held out a clawed hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lilo. I am Olu, Head of Galactic Relations."

Lilo shook his hand and tilted her head to the side. "What does a head of Galactic Relations do?"

"Well, I work with Ambassadors and governments on many planets to ensure that the peace is being kept and there are healthy relations between the planets."

"Wow!" Lilo said in awe. "That must be a lot of work!"

_It sure is_.

Alae cleared her throat. "Lilo, we appreciate you allowing us to join you on your inspections today."

"It'll be fun!" Lilo smiled. "Stitch is going to be busy with Angel today, so I'm glad for the company."

And the trio started up to Lilo's house, where the girl had to tell her sister where she was going.

"_Nani_!" Lilo screeched, holding the front door open. "I'm going to check on the cousins!"

"Hold it!" An elder girl hurried into the hallway, and Olu assumed correctly that this was Lilo's sister. "I want to hear the rules!"

Lilo sighed dramatically. "Don't get into a fight with Mertle, don't get arrested, don't go flying into space without telling you first and I have to be back by sunset."

Nani nodded in approval. "Good girl. Alae, it's nice to see you again."

Alae nodded her head. "And it is good to see you, Nani. How is everything?"

"As good as they can be when you have six aliens living in your house." Nani grinned. "Speaking of which, I have to go stop Jumba before he steals the microwave again."

The elder Pelekai took off and Olu stared. _"Six aliens_?"

"Sure," Lilo said as she jogged down the porch steps with Alae and Olu following behind. "There's Uncle Jumba, Uncle Pleakley, Stitch, Angel, Belle and Glitch."

Olu was starting to wonder if he needed to see the girl in action or not. With six aliens living under one roof, it seemed like Lilo already had enough experience in dealing with alien disputes.

"So," Lilo said suddenly as they trekked down the dirt path towards the beach. "There are 623 experiments living on the island. Reuben is with Gantu, and I call them twice a week, so I know Reuben's happy with Gantu."

Alae smiled. "They do seem rather fond of each other."

"They're like two peas in a pod," Lilo agreed.

"What about the other two?" Olu asked, genuinely curious.

"Mr. Stenchy is on Plorgonar. Mother Pleakley ended up adopting him, so she brings him down when she visits Pleakley," Lilo explained. "Shush is with Cobra Bubbles, my social worker. Cobra is always doing some top secret work, so he brings Shush with him."

They came upon the beach and Lilo pointed to the cropping of rock in the water. "There's Cannonball-he makes waves for the surfers to enjoy."

Olu watched as a pinkish, round alien jumped off the rock and landed in the water. A giant wave swelled up for a brief moment before crashing down again. Lilo waved. "Hi, Cannonball!"

Cannonball waved back. Lilo smiled. "Still happy. Now, over there is where my sister Nani works."

Olu looked at the shack Lilo pointed out. "Richter works alongside her, making shakes for the customers. When Nani doesn't work, Richter helps whoever _is _working," Lilo said. The trio walked over and Lilo poked her head over the counter. "Hi, Richter! Are you having fun?"

The purple alien nodded happily. "Richter love making shakes!"

"Good!" Lilo nodded in satisfaction. She gave Richter a pat on the head before spinning on her heel and striding off. "Now we're off to see if Finder is happy."

"You do this for every single experiment?" Olu asked in disbelief.

"Of course," Lilo answered. "If they're not happy, I'm not happy."

Alae glanced down at her friend. "Are you starting to see why I made the decision that I did?"

Olu smiled sheepishly. "Yes, I think I am."

...

Throughout the day Lilo checked up on all her cousins. She was enthusiastic to see every one of them and Olu was impressed that the girl remembered every name and true place of all the experiments.

Sunset was approaching and they had one more stop to make. "Our last stop is Shoe. He's at the miniature golf course."

Lilo led the way. When they came upon the tiki head hole where the experiment worked, it was to see three teenagers jeering and throwing their golf balls at a terrified Shoe.

A dark expression crossed the Hawaiian girl's face. She stormed over to the teenagers and gave one of them a swift kick to the behind. The boy yelped and dropped his ball in surprise. His friends glowered. "Hey, brat, what do you think you're doing?"

"Shouldn't we do something?" Olu asked softly.

Alae shook her head. "This is the perfect opportunity for you to see why I named Lilo the sole caretaker of the experiments."

"What do _you _think _you're _doing to my cousin?" Lilo demanded, not intimidated in the least.

The leader of the trio sneered, rubbing his behind. "This freak is your cousin? I'm sure. But you _do _look alike, now that I think about it!"

His friends burst into laughter. Lilo yanked the golf club from the leader's hand and swatted him with it. "You better apologize to Shoe right now!"

"_Ouch!_" the leader cried, trying to avoid the blows. "Guys, help me! This brat is a lunatic!"

Olu watched in amazement as the little girl easily brought down the three teens. She stared down with intimidation. "I'm going to say it one more time. Apologize. To. Shoe."

"We're sorry!" the teens said hastily, suddenly realizing that Lilo would actually inflict harm upon them if they didn't do what she asked.

"And what are you not going to do again?" Lilo asked menacingly, waving the golf club in the air.

"We're not going to pick on him again!" the leader promised. There was no way he was messing with this kid again. She meant business!

"Good. Now get lost."

The teens raced off. The dark look left Lilo's face when she heard Shoe whimpering in fright. "It's okay," Lilo cooed. "The jerks are gone. They won't bother you again."

Shoe removed his paws from his eyes and peered down at Lilo, who held her arms out encouragingly. Shoe climbed down the tiki head and hurried into Lilo's arms for a hug. Lilo patted his head comfortingly. "If they happen to come back, flip your horseshoe down and give them as much bad luck as you possibly can."

Shoe rubbed his eyes and nodded. Lilo took his paw. "Snow cones always make me feel better. Want to stop by Slushy's cart?"

Shoe nodded, his expression brightening. Lilo turned to Alae and Olu. "The rounds are all done, but if you want you can join us."

Alae smiled. "Thank you for the offer Lilo, but we must be getting back. It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Come back and visit soon!" Lilo insisted. "And tell Gantu and Reuben I say hi."

"I'll be sure to do that." Alae gave the girl a hug.

Olu smiled at the girl. "It's been nice meeting you, Lilo," he said genuinely.

Lilo beamed back. "It was nice to meet you too!"

The girl waved and set off with Shoe. Olu turned to the leader of the Galactic Council. "I can't apologize enough for my lack of faith in your decision making. I understand now why Lilo is the best choice for the position. With the amount of love and care she holds, she will put dedication into forming strong bonds with other planets across the galaxy. And I have every confidence she will succeed."

**I always thought it was weird that even though Belle and Glitch live in Lilo's house, we don't see them apart from their episodes (and I'm not counting cameo appearances). So, I made Belle and Glitch living with Lilo xD**


	10. The Mall Mishap

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**The Mall Mishap**

Lilo lazily browsed through the selection of cotton tank tops resting on the _Clearance _table. Most of them were wrinkled to the point where no iron in the world could salvage the material, but being a fourteen-year-old girl with no job, there were limited options when you had to shop on allowance money.

"This isn't so bad," Lilo said aloud as she removed a decent mint-green tank top from the bottom of the pile. Her colour choices always seemed to be reds or greens, but why change something that's been working since childhood?

"Please. It looks like someone threw up on it."

Lilo continued studying the shirt, not bothering to look over her shoulder to see who had spoken. She knew the taunting voice very well. "I think it looks nice."

"Of course you do," Mertle sneered. "And that really doesn't surprise me, considering you're weird and have weird tastes in _everything_-from clothes, to movies and to dogs."

"The last one really doesn't count," Lilo said idly. She made up her mind and threw the shirt over her arm. "Stitch is an alien, so of course he's different from dogs. Speaking of which, how's GiGi?"

Mertle paused, caught off guard by the genuine interest in Lilo's voice. "Fine," she said reluctantly. While she was willing to accept GiGi being an alien experiment, she wasn't willing to get caught up completely in her alien 'ohana.

"That's good." Lilo finally glanced at the redhead with a sincere smile. "So, what brings you here?"

Mertle arched an eyebrow. "Duh, doing exactly what you're doing. Shopping, except I do so with high standards."

_I've noticed, _Lilo thought. "Well, I'm on a tight budget, so I can't afford designer earrings like you can."

An amused smile curled across Mertle's face. "Neither can I. But yet I have them." She flicked the sparkling emerald earrings in emphasis.

Lilo blinked in confusion. "What do you mean? You can totally afford those earrings! And how would you be wearing them if you can't afford them?"

"Sometimes your stupidity baffles me." Mertle shook her head. "Of _course _I'm rich. But Mom thinks if she gives me a larger allowance than the rest of the neighbourhood kids, I'll 'lose sight of what matters most'. So, when I want something and don't have the money for it, I just take it anyway."

Lilo mulled this over for a moment before complete shock crossed her face. "You _shoplift_?"

Mertle snapped her head around, but she needn't have worried. There was no one around to overhear them. "Shut it, will you? And yes, it's something normal people do."

"No it isn't!" Lilo snapped. "It's something _criminals _do!"

Mertle rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a goody-goody."

"I am not a goody-goody," Lilo cried. "In fact, I just got detention last week for punching Elena in the face."

"Admittedly, she deserved it. Even I know it's a stupid move to insult your family." Mertle crossed her arms. "But other than the occasional detention, you still obey most of the school rules. And you always make sure you're home by curfew. Need I go on?"

"Well, Nani would be disappointed in me if I got in trouble at school," Lilo defended. "And there are six aliens living in my house. I have to help out. It's the least I can do for Nani."

Mertle smirked. "Point proven. Goody-goody's worry about disappointing people and do everything they can to make those people proud."

Lilo stomped her foot in frustration. _"I am not a goody-goody!"_

The redhead leaned in close. "_Prove it."_

A tension crackled between the two teens. Lilo gritted her teeth. Her conscience was screaming at her, telling her to ignore the girl and walk away. But Lilo was having difficulty doing that. If she walked away, she was denying a challenge from Mertle.

She _never _denied a challenge from Mertle.

"I will," Lilo growled. She stood up straight and walked casually over to the jewellery spinner. Her fingers brushed a green and red glass bead necklace. She took a deep breath and lifted it from its metal hook. Gingerly, she hovered the necklace over her homemade purse (made completely out of duct tape and decorated with vampires) for a brief moment before letting it drop inside. The raven-haired girl whirled around and grinned at Mertle, who rolled her eyes in return.

"Whatever. I guess you're not a _complete_-"Mertle suddenly stopped speaking, her eyes growing wide with horror behind her glasses. Without speaking a word she turned on her heel and walked out of the store.

Lilo frowned in puzzlement. _What's her-?_

Before she could finish her thought a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. Lilo froze, her heart beginning to pound. Very slowly, she peered up into the disappointed expression of Officer Clyde.

Relief and terror clashed as those two emotions filled her; relief at being busted by her cousin but terror at being busted in the first place.

"I-" Lilo started, but she realized she had nothing worthwhile to say.

"Put it back, Lilo," Clyde said, his paw not leaving her shoulder.

Lilo swallowed and put the necklace back where it belonged, shame welling up in her chest. Tears welled up in her eyes and she brushed them hastily away.

Clyde studied the girl for a moment before sighing. "C'mon, kiddo. We're going to take a little ride."

Lilo nodded. She tossed the mint-green shirt back on the _Clearance _table as they passed. She didn't feel like she deserved to buy anything right now.

The two walked out into the cool evening air. Bonnie glanced up when they approached the police cruiser and smiled. "Hey, kid. Need a ride?"

"Yeah, to the police station," Lilo said miserably as she collapsed in the back seat.

Bonnie looked at her in surprise. "What for?"

"Busted her shoplifting," Clyde informed his partner as he lowered himself into the driver's seat. "So I thought we'd take a little ride to see what's up." He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, speeding onto the twisting dirt roads.

"Oh, Lilo." Bonnie frowned at the Hawaiian girl in disappointment. "You're better than that stuff!"

"I know," Lilo whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "It was stupid!"

_I wish I had brought Stitch with me. He would have stopped me. Although I should have been smart enough to stop myself._

"Alright, there's gotta be a story behind it," Clyde prodded gently. "I know you, doll. You don't do stuff like this. What happened?"

Lilo burrowed her face in her hands. "Mertle Edmunds got to me. Again. And whenever she challenges me I can't walk away from it."

"She challenged you to shoplift?" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"No! She accused me of being a goody-goody, I told her I wasn't, and she told me to prove it," Lilo said. "I caved to peer pressure, and now I'm starring in my own after-school special."

Clyde snorted and Bonnie punched him in the shoulder. "Not the time to laugh at her jokes," she muttered under her breath.

"Am I going to be arrested?" Lilo asked nervously. "I mean, I totally deserve it."

Bonnie and Clyde exchanged glances. It was their job to bring justice to Kokaua Town, and if you committed the crime, then you do the time.

But they also got the job in the first place because of the girl in the backseat of their cruiser.

"I'm gonna tell a story," Bonnie began. "Of a little girl who believed in others so much it could be sickening."

Lilo smiled softly, knowing where this story was going.

"This little girl put two no-good thugs in the big house. They deserved to be there, and they deserved to rot in there. But one day the little girl came back and convinced the warden to put the thugs on parole. The thugs were mad at the little girl for puttin' them in the slammer in the first place, but no matter how many cracks they made the little girl was patient. She didn't give up, and soon the thugs realized this was the one person who would give them a chance to redeem themselves. Because of that little girl, their lives are a hundred times better."

"Wanna take a whack at who this little girl is?" Clyde asked, winking at Lilo in the review mirror.

"It was me, five years ago." Lilo suddenly realized that the car had stopped and glanced out the window. They were at her house. Surprised, Lilo looked at the two officers in the front seat.

"Bingo. You gave us, and all the other experiments a second chance. You deserve one to. Everyone screws up, but it's what you learn from that screw-up that matters." Bonnie grinned. "This is your chance. Don't screw up again, because the road that you nearly went down isn't a pleasant one. Take it from two jerks that've been there."

"You're not jerks." Lilo leaned towards the front seat and threw her arms around her cousins. "You're the best cousins ever!"

"Everyone's your favourite cousin." Clyde grinned and ruffled Lilo's hair fondly. "Now get out of here. A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be in the back of police cruiser."

"And be a good girl," Bonnie added. "The next time that redhead challenges you-"

"Keep my head high and walk away," Lilo finished.

"Thatta girl." Bonnie smiled as Lilo gave them one last squeeze before jumping from the cruiser and sprinting to her house. Clyde threw the gearshift to reverse and tore out of the driveway before anyone spotted them.

Lilo considered Mertle, and what to do about what she just learned. She decided she would have a talk with Mertle, and if nothing changed she would take it from there. Lilo understood that the one act she did could have cost her her future. That was one mistake she didn't want to make, and it was one mistake no one else should make, either.

**I figure that Lilo would still be one to agree to Mertle's challenges when they're teens, but the challenges would get more drastic as they got older. I can see Lilo getting into a situation like this. As for Bonnie and Clyde, it took a lot of convincing, but Lilo managed to get them jobs in the police force when they were completely reformed.**

**(Obvious) Lesson of the story: don't shoplift. It's a criminal act, it's wrong, and it will stay with you for the rest of your life.**


	11. Single and Loving It

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**Single and Loving It**

Lilo sat on her bed, watching as her best friend adjusted the bow tie around his neck. It was Stitch's first Valentine's Day with Angel, and she agreed to help him make it special. She glanced at the wrinkled piece of paper in her hand. "Are you ready for the Romantic Valentine's Day Must-Haves?"

Stitch turned away from the mirror and flashed a thumbs up. "Ih!"

"Flowers?"

The blue experiment whipped a bouquet of roses out from inside his jacket. "Check!"

"Candy?"

Stitch felt around inside his jacket once more and froze when he could not feel the heart-shaped box. He panicked for just a brief moment before remembering where he had stashed them. He scrambled under Lilo's bed and removed the chocolates. "Check!"

"Romantic location?"

"Check!" Stitch grinned. "Dinner on beach!"

"That also takes care of the romantic activity." Lilo smiled. "What's more romantic than a walk on the beach?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly. Stitch, you're all ready for your date with Angel."

"Good! Thanks, Lilo." Stitch hugged his best friend, grateful that she had helped him with the dinner preparations. With the table all set up at the beachfront (complete with candles and cinnamon candies) and Frenchfry making the dinner, it was going to be a great night.

"No problem, Stitch. I'm glad to help!" Lilo returned his hug. "Oh! We were so busy making your date preparations I forgot to give you my Valentine gift."

She hurried over to the closet and threw it open. She rifled through the other boxes of candy she had gotten from Nani, Jumba, Pleakley, David, Victoria and various cousins. She found the homemade card with a box of red jellybeans and handed it to Stitch. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Ooh!" Stitch tore open the box of jellybeans and downed them in one gulp. "Yummy! This for Lilo!"

He hurried over to his bed and removed a card from under his pillow. He gave it to Lilo and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"I love it!" Lilo beamed and pinned the card in the center of her corkboard. "Thanks, Stitch."

The elevator whirred, signalling that someone was coming up. A few seconds later the pink experiment appeared in their dome. Angel smiled coyly at Stitch. "Ready, boochi-boo?"

Stitch smiled goofily. "Ih!" He thrust out the flowers and candy. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Aw!" Angel threw her arms around the blue experiment. "Takka!"

"No problem." Stitch handed her the gifts and offered his arm. She accepted it with a warm smile. The two turned to the Hawaiian girl observing them with a happy expression. "Bye, Lilo! See you soon!"

"Bye Lilo!" Angel echoed with a shy smile.

"Have fun!" Lilo waved as the two descended down the elevator. "Be home before sunset!"

"Okay!" Stitch called up before departing with his girlfriend. Lilo collapsed against her pillow with a sigh of wistfulness. She loved Angel, she loved Stitch, and she loved them being together, but she was a little jealous of what they had.

"I wish I had a boyfriend for Valentine's Day," the ten-year-old said moodily. "Victoria is so lucky Keoni asked her to the dance."

It probably would have stung more if she still had a crush on the boy, but that had passed a while ago and Lilo was happy for her friend.

But it didn't help to know that both her best friends were out on dates while she was alone on the most romantic day of the year.

She briefly considered going to spy on Nani's date with David, but decided the consequences that she was sure to receive if she got caught weren't worth the risk.

Deciding that it would only be more depressing if she wasted Valentine's Day alone in her room, Lilo travelled down the elevator chute and shuffled into the living room, where Jumba and Pleakley were watching television. The Plorgonar glanced up as the girl walked in. "Shouldn't a young, single girl like you be out breaking hearts?" Pleakley asked when his niece dropped onto the couch between the two aliens.

"If anyone was willing to have me break their heart, I'd be out doing it," Lilo sighed dramatically. "But no, I'm in my prime and I couldn't even get a date for Valentine's Day."

"Little girl has not even _reached _prime yet," Jumba pointed out.

"You know I'm ten right?" Lilo asked. "Technically not a little girl anymore."

Her alien uncle patted her head affectionately. "Always little girl to me."

"And apparently to every guy on the island as well," Lilo muttered. "Every time I try to talk to a boy I like, they just smile and say, 'You're a cute kid, you know that?' Will I ever grow into a woman that guys will take seriously? Or will I always have a hopeless love life?"

"Of course you will. In roughly three years," Jumba answered, mildly amused by Lilo's dramatics.

Lilo tilted her head curiously. "What happens in three years?"

Before Jumba could reply Pleakley elbowed him sharply. "You'll find out when the time comes." Pleakley said hastily. "And as for your 'hopeless love life', I'd like to point out that you're _ten_. In a few years the boys will be lining up to be your Valentine."

Lilo perked up at the mental image Pleakley's assurance brought. "I like the sounds of that."

Pleakley laughed. "Just try not to leave _too_ many broken hearts behind you, alright?"

"I won't," Lilo promised. "So what are we watching?"

"Talk shows," Jumba said in disgust. "Pleakley won't give up remote."

"In this house, you have to fight for the T.V. remote," Lilo said. Without any warning she tackled Pleakley, nearly causing him to fall off the couch.

"Hold it! Hold everything!" Pleakley cried as Lilo attempted to snag the remote from him. "Fighting is not how we solve problems!"

"Sure it is." Lilo grinned and jabbed Pleakley in the side, knowing he was ticklish. The one-eyed alien yelped and dropped the remote, which Lilo promptly picked up. The Hawaiian girl got off of Pleakley and quickly climbed into Jumba's lap. "Got it!"

Jumba chuckled and patted Lilo's head. "Good girl. Very good problem-solving."

"You've corrupted her," Pleakley stated as he collapsed against the couch, rubbing his side.

Lilo giggled as Jumba took the remote from her and changed the channel. "No he didn't. I always fight the person who has the remote. That's just how it works."

Pleakley did not answer, and Lilo frowned in worry. Afraid that she had made him mad, she crawled over to him. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I promise I won't do it again."

Pleakley glanced at her sincere brown eyes and shook his head. "Little brat," he muttered and pinched her nose fondly. Lilo grinned and flopped back between her two alien uncles happily.

She realized you didn't need to have a date on Valentine's Day in order for it to be special. You just needed people you loved and who loved you.

**Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!**


	12. Devil's Night Mishap

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**Devil's Night Mishap**

"Alright, Stitch. This is it. We can't make any mistakes or else this will be completely ruined."

Lilo adjusted the goggles situated protectively over her brown eyes. A series of glass beakers supported in wire holders lined the stained tabletop. Stitch stood beside her on a wooden stool, a bottle of ketchup clutched in his blue paws.

"Each ingredient must be perfectly measured," Lilo cautioned, grabbing a beaker filled with a brownish liquid. "Too much or too little of something will result in a failed batch."

"Got it." Stitch nodded seriously.

The thirteen-year-old girl began adding the ingredients to a small porcelain bowl filled with a bit of water. She carefully measured each dose and gave the contents a stir every so often. When all the ingredients were added she clapped her hands together. "And now for the most important ingredient. Are you ready?"

"Ih." Stitch uncapped the bottle of ketchup and hovered the opening over the bowl.

"Be gentle. Don't rush it," Lilo instructed. "It has to happen of its own accord."

Stitch concentrated, sweat dripping down the side of his face. A glob of ketchup slowly made its way out of the bottle, dangling for a brief second on the lip before splattering into the bowl. Stitch quickly yanked the bottle away before more ketchup could escape and Lilo gave the concoction one final stir.

"Yes! We have done it! We have created the perfect batch of fake blood! _Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!_" Lilo cackled evilly, her arms thrown in the air with an expression of wicked glee.

The lights snapped on, blinding Lilo and Stitch momentarily. Jumba stood in the kitchen doorway, surveying the lab coat-clad girl and experiment and the mess they had made of the kitchen. "Eh, do I want to be knowing of what is going on here?"

"Just finished making a batch of fake blood," Lilo said proudly. She dipped her finger into the mixture and lifted it, allowing the dark red liquid to trickle down her hand. "What do you think?"

"Very realistic," Jumba approved. "But I advise that little girl and 626 clean up mess before bigger girl be getting home."

Lilo wrinkled her nose in distaste. She loved making messes, not cleaning them up. "I guess you're right. If I don't she'll probably take Halloween away from me."

"Tragedy," Stitch remarked, shrugging off his lab coat and throwing his goggles to the side.

"It would be a tragedy," Lilo agreed. "This holiday was _made _for me. I can't miss it!"

She dug a sheet of plastic wrap out from a drawer and secured over her bowl of fake blood. She stuck it in the fridge and studied the mess that she and Stitch had made. "Say, Jumba, wanna help?"

"Not my mess," Jumba returned. "Have fun cleaning!"

Lilo stuck her tongue out at his retreating back. "Well, he won't be of any help. Who else can we swindle into helping clean up our mess?"

Stitch cast her an odd look and Lilo smacked her forehead. "Oh, duh. Right. _Hey, Pleakley! We need your help with something!" _

It didn't take much to convince the skinny alien to help clean up the kitchen. Pleakley held a genuine liking of cleaning and so in mere minutes the kitchen was sparkling and spotless.

"I probably shouldn't ask but I'm going to anyway. What were you two doing in here?" Pleakley asked, setting the broom aside and wiping his face with a cloth.

"Making fake blood," Lilo answered. "Stitch and I needed it for our Zombie-Mummy-Vampire costumes."

"All three of your favourite things combined into one outfit," Pleakley said with a roll of his eye. "How charming. Why can't you be something pleasant for Halloween? Like a fairy or a princess."

Lilo gave her alien uncle a deadpan look. "Pleakley. Halloween is meant to be _scary_. Not happy, not glittery, not pleasant."

"Forgive me, I wasn't thinking." Pleakley shook his head. "So, Queen of Halloween, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Right after school Stitch and I are going to get dressed. We're going to visit Spooky at his place and see if he needs anything to make this year's haunted house even scarier. Then Stitch and I are going to do a quick run of the neighbourhood. Then we're going to go to the Halloween party at the hula school. If there's time after, we'll hit up some more houses for leftover candy and come back here to pig out."

"Sounds like you have everything planned down to a 'T'," Pleakley remarked. "But what about Angel?"

"Plans with Belle and Glitch," Stitch explained. The other three aliens of the Pelekai household were going to spend the evening watching a horror movie marathon. Stitch, who enjoyed a scary movie as much as the next alien, preferred getting out into the Halloween scene like his best friend.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we have to double-check to make sure our costumes are in perfect order," Lilo said.

"You are excused, your Majesty," Pleakley teased, dipping into a bow. Lilo curtseyed back and sauntered from the kitchen with Stitch following behind. "And thanks for helping us clean up!" Lilo called over her shoulder.

The two friends stepped onto the elevator and entered their bedroom. Belle and Angel were playing cards at Lilo's desk. "Hi," Angel greeted, her eyes flickering up from her hand to smile at her boyfriend and friend.

"Hey, guys. Whatcha playing?" Lilo asked, going over to her closet.

"Go Fish," Angel answered. Turning to Belle, she asked, "Four?"

Belle gave a small shriek of frustration and slid two cards across the desk.

"I think I can guess who's not winning," Lilo remarked. She peered into the depths of her closet and grabbed a cardboard box labelled _Halloween Stuff_. She dragged it out and opened it up. "Let's see...we got the green face paint for the zombie part, there's plenty of toilet paper in the bathroom for the mummy part, and we got the black cape and..."She trailed off and started rifling through the box in sudden panic. "Where are the vampire fangs?"

Stitch gave a shrug. Lilo groaned in frustration. "We can't be a vampire without fangs! We'll have to get some more!"

"Where?" Stitch asked.

"The Superstore, of course! I'll be right back. You stay here and start getting the costumes together."

Stitch saluted her and Lilo grabbed her purse before hurrying to the elevator. When she touched upon the ground floor she ran for the front door. "I'm going to the Superstore!" she hollered. "I'll be back by dinner!"

"Don't talk to strangers!" Pleakley shouted back.

"Got it!" Lilo wrenched the front door open and raced out. The sky was an orangey-red and the wind was gentle, blowing her raven strands around her flushed face. The girl ran all the way to the Superstore, a giant bargain store that took up a whole block and was the newest addition to the small island.

The girl stepped into the air-conditioned building and was immediately greeted by rows and rows of Halloween decorations, candy and costumes. Lilo stepped into the costume accessory aisle and snagged the very last pack of vampire fangs, which held two sets. "The Halloween Fairy is on my side."

"Only you would think there's such a thing as a Halloween Fairy."

Lilo rolled her brown eyes and turned around to face Mertle and her posse. "I was joking," she informed her hula peers.

Mertle's eyes flickered to the fangs in Lilo's hands. "Don't you think you're a little old for trick-or-treating Weirdlo?"

"You're never too old for trick-or-treating," Lilo said seriously.

"Teenagers don't do trick-or-treating," Elena snorted.

"Yeah, they do Devil's Night," Yuki added.

Lilo glanced at the contents of the cart that Teresa was pushing. Cartons of eggs, toilet paper, shaving cream and other random items to cover up any suspicion were piled against each other. "Those who do Devil's Night get arrested."

"Only foolish people who are stupid enough to get caught," Mertle returned. "People like you."

"Oooh!" the three girls chorused.

Lilo's left eye twitched. She knew that the challenge lay hidden within Mertle's words. She also knew that her kryptonite was being exposed-a challenge from Mertle was something she could _never _back down from.

"Wanna bet?"

Mertle's smirk widened. "Meet us in front of the hula school at midnight. If you have the guts."

"Oh, I've got the guts," Lilo growled. "I'll be there."

"We'll see."

"Yeaaaaah," Teresa, Yuki and Elena sneered. Mertle turned on her heel and the group filed towards the line of check-outs, leaving Lilo to wonder just what she had gotten herself into.

...

_Zzzzzt._

Lilo slowly turned her head to stare at her vibrating watch, which rested by her ear on her pillow. She hit the button and sat up, staring around the dark room. Stitch and Angel were sleeping soundly and Lilo wished she could be doing the same.

"Me and my big mouth," she groused. She climbed out of bed and pulled a pair of shorts underneath her pale blue nightgown and throwing on a jacket. She slipped her feet into her red flip-flops and snapped her watch onto her wrist. She double-checked her jacket pocket to make sure her copy of the house key was there. "Here goes nothing."

The teen opened her window and slipped down the drainpipe (as taking the elevator would surely wake up at least one member of the household). Lilo stole down the long driveway and through the silent town, heart pounding in her chest. She could distantly hear jeering calls of other teenagers and sirens wailing in the night sky.

Soon the familiar structure of her hula school came into her line of sight. Lilo crept across the sand, scanning the surrounding area and wishing she had brought a flashlight. "Mertle?" she whisper-called. "Yuki? Teresa? Elena? _Anybody?_"

Something suddenly took a rough hold of her shoulders. Lilo let out a shriek of panic and thrashed, only to stop when she heard a bout of laughter that was all-too familiar. Scowling, Lilo whipped around and punched Mertle in the arm. "Don't _do _that!" Lilo hissed.

"What's the matter?" Mertle teased. "Scared?"

"No," Lilo lied. She glanced at the items her hula peers held in their hands. "What's the plan?"

"Cause as big a mess as we possibly can in the next few hours," Mertle answered simply. "Yuki and Elena will take care of toilet-papering the place. Teresa will do some damage with the shaving scream. You and I are gonna have some fun with eggs."

Yuki thrust a cardboard container of eggs into Lilo's hands. The raven-haired girl swallowed nervously. "Yay," she mumbled.

"C'mon, let's do this," Yuki giggled. She and Elena raced off, clutching rolls of toilet paper and throwing them over the trees and building. Teresa uncapped a bottle of shaving cream and started making decorations in the window panes. Mertle gave Lilo a smirk before throwing an egg at the building.

Lilo stared at the dripping yolk and egg shells. Mertle noticed her hesitation and snorted. "I knew you wouldn't have the guts to do this," she taunted, jogging onto the porch to get a better aim.

"I. Do. Too," Lilo growled. She wrenched open her container and started pelting eggs at the building aggressively. Yolk exploded everywhere, dripping onto the porch and staining the walls.

"What do you know?" Mertle laughed. "Weirdlo _does _know how to have fun."

The glee was immediately cut off when a bright light descended upon them. Mertle stumbled back into the shadows before she was clearly made out. Elena, Yuki and Teresa (already far from the illuminating source) took off.

"Hold it right there, young lady!"

_Oh, no._

It just _had _to be Officer Kaiiko.

Lilo could only stand, frozen in place, watching miserably as Mertle slowly lowered herself over the wooden railing and slipped to safety.

Officer Kaiiko slowly approached the vandal, eyes growing wide with surprise. Despite the fact that the girl's back was to him the policeman knew that mane of raven hair very well. The person attached to it had sat in the back of his cruiser many times.

"Lilo?!"

The teen gave a groan and reluctantly turned around. "Uh...Happy Halloween?" Lilo said weakly.

Kaiiko surveyed the mess and turned to Lilo with a severe frown. "I think you and I need to go back to the station and have a talk."

"I figured as much," Lilo muttered. She shuffled over to the cruiser and slid into the backseat.

Devil's Night was over for her. And as far as she was concerned, so was Halloween. Her favourite holiday had ended before it had even begun.

...

The ride in the back of Kaiiko's cruiser was one she had taken many, many times. Lilo bit her lip nervously as she shuffled into the police station, a sheepish smile curling across her lips at the curious looks the other officers were casting her.

Kaiiko guided the teen into his office and shut the door firmly behind them. Lilo dropped into the wooden chair and clasped her hands in her lap, casting an anxious glance at the clock on the wall. It was almost one in the morning.

"Alright Lilo, you wanna tell me why you were vandalizing the hula school?"

"Uh...it...it's Devil's Night," Lilo said weakly. "Teens like me go crazy on Devil's Night."

"Every other teen _but _you goes crazy on Devil's Night," Kaiiko corrected. "You're a bundle of trouble, I'll give you that. But you've never wrecked someone's property before. Did something happen between you and Moses?"

"No!" Lilo said quickly. While she and her hula teacher were known to butt heads, she adored him. "Nothing like that."

"Then what compelled you to do something like this?"

"I...received a challenge from someone," Lilo said slowly. "And I have difficulty walking away from any challenge this person gives me."

Kaiiko arched an eyebrow at Lilo's attempt to leave out names. But he needn't persist, for he knew that there was only one person on the island whom Lilo had a long-standing feud. But with no evidence or confession he could not pay a visit to the Edmond household. "I see. Lilo...you know I'm going to have to call your sister."

"_No!" _Lilo cried. She launched forwards and slapped both hands over the black phone. "Please! I'll clean the mess up! I'll pay a fine! I'll do community service! I'll apologize to Moses! I'll do anything! But _please _don't call Nani! Not tonight! Not before Halloween!"

Kaiiko rubbed his forehead tiredly. "You're only thirteen, Lilo. I can't let you go without calling your guardian to come pick you up and take you out of my custody."

"What about my uncle Jumba?" Lilo pleaded. "He's a guardian."

Kaiiko hesitated. The girl was right. Her uncle and aunt had just recently been listed as additional guardians for the young Hawaiian girl. "Alright," Kaiiko said slowly. "You can give your uncle a call. _But _you have to do everything you just said you would do."

"Anything," Lilo said eagerly. She removed her hands from the phone and dialled Pleakley's space cell phone number. She twisted the cord nervously, hoping that the trill of the ringtone wouldn't wake her sister.

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"It's me, Lilo," Lilo said softly. "Can you put Uncle Jumba on the phone?"

"Lilo?" Peakley's voice was alert now. "Where exactly are you calling from?"

"Keep it down!" Lilo hissed. "I'll explain everything later. Will you _please _just put Uncle Jumba on?"

It took a few moments to explain to her alien uncle the situation she had landed herself into but she managed to convince Jumba to come pick her up from the station without waking her sister. It was only a few minutes later that Jumba burst through the station doors, hastily dressed and his glasses slightly askew.

Kaiiko led Lilo out of his office to meet Jumba by the front desk. He slipped a sheaf of papers onto the desk and handed Jumba a pen. "You'll have to sign these papers. Lilo and I have already agreed on her punishment. This incident will also have to go on her record."

Lilo winced. Jumba gave an understanding nod as he began to sign the papers. "Of course, of course. Is what little girl deserves for her foolishness."

Kaiiko tipped his hat and went to head back out on patrol. Lilo quickly went after him and tugged on his uniform. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "For not calling Nani. And I promise I won't do anything like this again."

Kaiiko gave a smile and patted her head. "I know you won't, Lilo. Have a safe Halloween."

Lilo waved as Kaiiko left the station and turned back to Jumba, who had finished the paperwork. "So...I don't suppose you could help me keep this a secret?" Lilo said hopefully.

"I should have woke bigger girl to come get you," Jumba grumbled. He slid the papers to the woman on the other side of the desk, tipped his hat and walked out of the station with a firm hand on Lilo's shoulder. "Sometimes I be wondering what goes through little human mind."

"A lot of weird stuff," Lilo admitted. "I really appreciate this."

"You better," Jumba snorted. "You may pay Jumba back with fifty percent of candy profits."

Lilo flinched. "I figured as much," she said with a sigh. "Oh well."

Giving away half of her candy loot was nothing compared to what could have happened.

Getting grounded on Halloween was Lilo Pelekai's worst nightmare.

**Hope everyone has a spooktastic and candyriffic Halloween!**


	13. The Christmas Tree Mishap

**I do not own Lilo and Stitch.**

**The Christmas Tree Mishap**

"Alright, Stitch. We need to focus."

The little blue experiment nodded in determination. "Focus. Got it."

"Nani gave us the most important Christmas job," Lilo continued, placing her hands on her hips and studying the tree lot ahead of them. "We need find the annual Pelekai Christmas tree."

Since pine trees were scarce on the small island of Kauai, many were imported for the Christmas season so that the islanders could have a traditional, real Christmas tree. Dozens of trees were lined in neat rows, from modest statures to majestic heights. Shoving a fistful of bills into her shorts pocket, Lilo and Stitch stepped through the gates and began wandering down the rows.

"Have to be perfect," Stitch warned his best friend.

"You're telling me," Lilo sighed. "Nani totally didn't want to send us to get the tree. But with everyone else so busy, what could she do?"

The consistent warm weather often brought many tourists from the places that experienced a harsh winter season. They would come in truckloads to the beaches, which meant for the month of December Nani was working overtime at the surf shack. Jumba and Pleakley were in charge of the lights, Angel, Glitch and Belle were making Christmas cookies (Angel had quite the skill for cooking-but nothing that could rival that of Frenchy's) and David was doing some last minute Christmas shopping on behalf of his girlfriend.

With Lilo being on vacation from school, the job of selecting the Christmas tree fell on her shoulders. "I don't know why she's so worried," Lilo muttered. "I'm fifteen-years-old! I've matured a lot over the years. I can handle picking out a Christmas tree."

"This one?" Stitch suggested, pointing to a decent-sized pine tree. Lilo leaned forwards and inspected the pine needles.

"Won't do. The needles are all brown."

"Seven days until Christmas!" Stitch pointed out in slight exasperation. Of course the needles would be brown. They had been sitting in the tree lot for almost a month. It was a miracle that the trees still _had _pine needles.

"We can do better," Lilo said dismissively.

Stitch rolled his eyes and went back to searching. He spotted a nice-looking tree near the end of the row and scampered up to it. The needles looked to be a decent colour and most were still attached. But the trunk looked to be rather unstable. Stitch placed his paw against the trunk and gave an experimental push.

He was right. The trunk was unstable.

Completely rotted through, the tree buckled under the abnormal strength of Stitch. The blue experiment scrambled back and could only stare in horror as the tree fell forwards, toppling into the next tree and starting a domino reaction.

The sickening crunching of splintering wood caught Lilo's attention. She snapped her head towards the source of the noise and found her best friend staring at her with a guilty expression. "Soka!" he called.

"_You rotten pest! Look what you did to my tree lot!" _the owner cried in agony as he watched his beautiful trees tumble to the ground, needles flying everywhere.

"Let's go!" Lilo hissed and she took off, Stitch quickly catching up. They sprinted down a few blocks and only stopped when they were sure the owner wasn't pursuing them. "What did you do?" Lilo cried.

"Accident!" Stitch protested. "Just seeing if trunk was good."

"Apparently, it wasn't," Lilo said flatly. "Stitch, there are only three tree lots on Kauai. We are now down to two-there is _no _way I'm going back there. The guy looked like he wanted to kill us, and I didn't even do anything wrong."

"Soka," Stitch repeated.

Lilo shook her head and started walking. "It's okay. Sometimes you forget just how much strength you have. But try not to kill anymore tree lots, okay?"

"Okay," Stitch agreed. "Won't happen again."

The two walked through town, which was crowded with sock-with-sandals-wearing tourists. "Excuse me!" a lady called to Lilo. "We're looking for the beach."

Lilo pointed behind her. "Keep walking straight and you'll hit it."

"Thank you!" The lady beamed gratefully and hurried off in the direction Lilo pointed out. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Lilo returned. She cast a glance up at the gleaming sun and frowned as the heat pounded down on her. "Stitch, I love Kauai, but sometimes I wish we would have a white Christmas, just once."

"Not in this weather," Stitch snorted.

"I know." Lilo and Stitch rounded the corner and came upon the second tree lot. "Hey, what do you know? Snow!"

"Fake snow," Stitch corrected, sticking his paw out and catching a flake on his finger. He stuck it in his mouth and tasted it. "Blah! Is soap."

"Well, I'll take it." Lilo stepped onto the green pathway that wound between the rows of trees. The snow machines were positioned in such a way so that the soap-based substance would not land on the pathways and make it slippery.

"Well, well, look who it is."

Lilo turned her face heavenward. "Mertle. How lovely it is to see you."

The redheaded she-devil sneered. "I'm afraid I can't say the same. A little late picking out your Christmas tree, aren't you?"

"We've been busy," Lilo replied shortly.

"Busy being weird."

_It's Christmas, don't punch her in the face. It's Christmas, don't punch her in the face._

"What are you doing here?" Lilo asked through gritted teeth.

"Mother wanted another Christmas tree for the parlour. We already have three, but you can never have too many. Especially when you can afford it," Mertle said smugly. She turned on her heel but before she got too far something sticky struck the back of her head. "Ew! What was that?"

"Haven't you ever heard of a snowball?" Lilo asked innocently, wiping the fake snow off of her fingers.

"Lilo," Stitch said warningly.

"Relax, she's too mature to-"

_Smack!_

Lilo stumbled forwards when Mertle's retaliation slammed into her cheek. "Oh, that's it!"

The two engaged in a snowball fight, their projectiles whizzing every which-way. Stitch knew it was futile to get Lilo to stop fighting her archenemy, so he gave a shrug and joined in.

"Girls! Girls!" the owner screamed, racing forwards. "Stop this at-"

He was nailed in the face by Lilo and he stumbled back into one of the snow machines, knocking the lever forwards to _Super Speed._

Fake snow spewed from the nozzle at a rapid rate, becoming nothing more than a fat white cloud as the machine overloaded. "_Hit the deck!" _Lilo screeched. She dove to the ground, throwing her hands over head. Mertle and Stitch were quick to copy her movement and a second later the machine exploded, covering the entire lot in the soapy substance.

"Way to go, Weirdlo!" Mertle scowled, gingerly wiping the substance from her hair.

"It was an accident!" Lilo wailed.

"Look at this mess!" the owner cried.

"I clean it!" Stitch volunteered. He hurried over to the fire hydrant that was located on the corner. He slashed the cap off with his claws and water churned out, splashing along the road and cascading across the tree lot.

As the fake snow was made from a soapy substance, there was a strong reaction with the water. It was as if a washing machine exploded in the middle of the tree lot-everything was covered in foamy, sweet-smelling soap.

Lilo slowly brushed the bubbles from her face and stared blankly at the ruined tree lot. "Uh…sorry. Merry Christmas!"

The raven-haired girl sprinted from the lot and raced down the sidewalk, Stitch hot on her heels. The last thing Lilo heard before rounding the corner was Mertle's outraged shriek of her outfit being destroyed.

"Okay," Lilo panted. "That one was my fault."

"Two down, one to go," Stitch groaned.

The two made it to the last tree lot on Kauai. "If we screw this up, Nani will _kill _us," Lilo muttered. "And if those owners manage to hunt us down, guess who will be paying for the damages."

"Be real careful," Stitch cautioned.

Lilo and Stitch made their way down the rows, keeping their arms stiffly at their sides. Lilo glanced anxiously at the price tags and gave a moan of frustration. "Five hundred dollars, three hundred dollars, two hundred dollars. We only got fifty bucks to work with!"

"Expensive lot," Stitch observed, noticing that the trees were a bit more elegant and more looked-after than the other trees in the previous lots.

"Leave it to us to wreck the affordable trees." Lilo shook her head.

"Could still go back."

Lilo hesitated. Stitch did have a point. While the trees probably wouldn't be in the best shape they would still be decent enough. But that meant she would have to show her face at either the lot she flooded with soap or the lot Stitch damaged. "I can't do it. The second we step foot on their property they'll make us pay for whatever damage we caused. We can't afford that, not at Christmas."

"Then?" Stitch prodded.

Lilo glanced around and found the owner standing near a cash box. She walked up to him. "Excuse me, sir? I don't suppose you have any trees under a hundred dollars, do you?"

The owner rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Well…I do have something. It was beaten up badly on the way here so I had to mark it down. It's thirty bucks, but it's not a looker."

"I don't care. I'll take it!" Lilo said eagerly, thrusting her money at him.

The man took her money, gave her change and went to get the tree. "Please be okay, please be okay!" Lilo begged, crossing her fingers.

A moment later the man returned. "Here she is. You sure you want her?"

Lilo stared. The tree looked like an overgrown twig with multiple branches sticking out. A clump of pine needles were stuck here and there and the tree was just barely taller than Stitch. "Yes," Lilo managed to squeak, as it was the only thing in the lot they could afford. "Thank you. Merry Christmas."

Stitch shook his head. "Oh boy."

Nani was not going to like this.

…

Lilo and Stitch brought the tree home, collecting Topper on the way. "The big tree can go without a star for a while," Lilo said feelingly. "We need Topper a _lot _more."

Stitch, Lilo and Topper arrived at the Pelekai household. Lilo shoved the tree into Stitch's arms and carefully opened the front door, checking the hallway for her alien uncles. "Okay, I don't hear anything, so-"

"Alright, what did you do?"

Lilo jumped in the air, her brown eyes growing wide. She turned a guilty expression towards Pleakley, who was staring at her sternly from the steps leading to the room he shared with Jumba. "Well?" Pleakley prodded.

"Um…okay, first off, it's not about how pretty the tree looks," Lilo began. "It's about what the tree represents."

Lilo opened the door wider, allowing Stitch and the puny tree to be seen. Pleakley gaped at them for a moment before exclaiming, "_That's _the best you could do?"

"We ran into some trouble," Lilo said vaguely. She and Stitch walked inside and Lilo kicked the door shut behind her. "In the end this is what we could afford."

Stitch went into the living room and propped the tree in the corner. "We'll decorate before Nani gets back and she won't even notice how…small it is."

Pleakley crossed his arms and studied the tree. "I sincerely doubt that."

"Shush!" Lilo waved her hand dismissively. "Stitch, go into the attic and get the tree decorations."

Stitch saluted her and scampered off. Lilo turned to Pleakley and asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Jumba went grocery shopping with Angel, Belle and Glitch," Pleakley answered. "They are going to be real surprised when they see _this_."

"It's not that bad," Lilo defended. "It's a tree, isn't it? Besides, it deserves some love and admiration."

Pleakley regarded the teenager for a moment before giving an accepting sigh. Sometimes it was just best not to question the escapades the little Hawaiian girl got up to. "Hon, you kill me," he ruffled her hair fondly. "You want some help decorating the tree?"

"Please." Lilo grinned.

Stitch bounded downstairs with the box of decorations. The three got to work, draping glittering tinsel, garland, twinkling lights and glass ornaments on the barely-stable branches. Topper took his place on the top of the tree, cooing happily. Lilo stepped back and studied the end result.

The small tree was sagging slightly from the weight of all the decorations, but it was a vast improvement from what it looked like without all the glitter and sparkles. "You know what? It'll work."

"Nani's going to ask why you got this tree, you know," Pleakley warned.

"I saw it and thought it needed a home for Christmas," Lilo recited promptly. It was at least half true, for she did want the little tree to have a nice Christmas.

The sound of crunching gravel reached their ears and Stitch rubbed his arm nervously. "Here we go."

"I have got to see this." Pleakley chuckled and settled into the couch.

"Jumba is back!" Jumba boomed, coming into the entry hall with a bag of groceries. His three experiments followed behind, each eating a peppermint snow cone. "Bigger girl is here too, so little girl should hide whatever she should not be doing."

"Very funny," Nani said dryly. "Lilo, are you home?"

"Yes," Lilo called reluctantly. "I'm in here."

"And she got the tree!" Pleakley added, ignoring the glare Lilo shot him.

"Ooh, let us see!" Jumba exclaimed. Nani, Jumba and the three experiments crowded in the living room entryway.

"Oooh." Angel winced. "Ah…it's…small."

"Little girl does not have eye for Christmas trees," Jumba remarked. "That is okay."

Lilo pouted. "It's not that bad! I think it's cute!"

Nani rubbed her forehead, trying to keep her frustration at bay. "Lilo, I gave you enough money for an average-sized tree. _Why _did you get this one?"

Lilo tilted her chin upwards. "This tree was lonely. It was sitting all by itself, isolated from fellow tree-kind, just because it was different. Well, I accept its differences! I see the beauty in this itty-bitty tree! I'm giving it a home for Christmas, I'm giving it love! How can you be so blinded by aesthetics to reject a perfectly good Christmas tree? I am ashamed! _Ashamed!_"

A long moment passed. Just when Lilo thought that Nani would demand the real reason, Nani shook her head and gave a slight smile. "Lilo, you really amaze me sometimes. Alright, I suppose it _is _kind of nice. I'm going to take a shower."

Nani turned on her heel and left. Jumba followed after her to put away the groceries. Lilo grinned widely and pumped her fist in the air. "Stitch! We're in the clear!"

"What really happened?" Pleakley asked.

Knowing that Pleakley would not tell Nani, Lilo explained the actual reason for selecting the tiny tree. "Stitch accidently broke the first tree lot and I flooded the second tree lot with soap. The last tree lot was too expensive and this was all that they had that we could afford."

"That makes much more sense," Pleakley laughed. "But your speech was very pretty."

"I did mean it, though." Lilo patted the tree affectionately. "It's not about how the tree looks-it's about what it represents."

"What's that?"

"The place for Nani to put my presents, of course."

**Lilo knows Christmas is about family and love, but she really likes the presents. Who doesn't?**

**Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!**


End file.
